Rimer attorneys talk

By Dana Gentry

Tuesday, July 29, 2008 | 6:46 p.m.

Colleen and Stan Rimer valued devout church attendance, but returned home most Sundays to escape to their master bedroom loft for a nap, leaving their children (including medically fragile 4-year-old Jason) to fend for themselves. In fact, when asked by police who was assigned the responsibility of caring for the Rimer children, Stan Rimer replied "We've got kids."

Those kids are now in county care and their parents face a grand jury indictment for second-degree murder and felony child abuse and neglect in connection with the death of Jason, their son who was left in the family SUV for 17 hours.

Attorney Ismael Santellan, who represents Colleen Rimer in the Family Court case, says his client did her best raising eight children under trying circumstances.

Stan Rimer's attorney in the Family Court matter, Lew Wolfbrandt, says he's surprised that the District Attorney chose to pursue criminal charges against the two, given what he calls the absence of intent and his client's apparent lack of involvement in the events leading to Jason being left in the car.

Stan Rimer was indeed uninvolved in much of Jason's care, according to police reports. But when Child Protective Services caseworkers investigated allegations of neglect and abuse involving Jason, Rimer took such offense that he threatened to call the media to the caseworkers' homes in retaliation for their investigation.

The attorneys explained the cases are ripe for conflict and allowed for the possibility that Colleen Rimer may be painted as an overwrought, subservient victim of a demanding husband and abusive co-parent. The fate of their minor children may be in limbo for some time.