Larissa Danielli and Silas. Photo by Gail Powell.
Editor: Here is an update on Larissa Danielli by OB blogger Gail Powell. Larissa, you may recall, was arrested November 3, 2011, in Ocean Beach when she returned to her Cape May apartment to find an adjacent apartment had caught on fire and firefighters had entered her unit. Medical marijuana was found and her troubles exploded. For three months, her young son was taken from her. Larissa has given her side of the story before, yet her travails just stagger the mind.
By Gail Powell
Last year, when a fire consumed the Ocean Beach apartment building where Larissa Danielli and her son, Silas resided, another fire of injustice and persecution started up that very day.
There were terrible consequences suffered by single mom Larissa and her sweet little boy who were doubly victimized by the tragedy that ensued.
I consider myself fortunate to be a friend of brave mom Larissa and I want to make sure her story gets heard and that she also has a chance to clear her name. It was sullied by smears, insults, and bare-faced lies that seem to have surrounded her as she has battled back to reunite herself with Silas and fight the bogus charges heaped on her by CPS, the San Diego Police Dept., and to a certain extent, our local San Diego media.
Pictures of Larissa being arrested the day the fire struck her residence were splashed all over the newspapers and local TV stations. I can say with absolute certainty that Larissa is an excellent person, wonderful mom, loyal friend and a pleasure to know. She and Silas did not deserve the treatment they were accorded.
I spoke with Larissa recently and I am happy to report she is now back with Silas. But it has not been an easy path and it was strewn with landmines all the way along. This is what she told me:
I’d like to expose how the government is wasting money; how my court appointed juvenile attorney ‘volunteered’ me for rehab; 5 days/week, 3-5 hours/day. After 1 month, the rehab said they would then ‘assess’ me (no assessment given before or even a drug test). This is the standard and all paid for by the taxpayers.
For 3 months, I was only LEGALLY allowed to see my son for 3 hours per day, and that continued up until the very day I was told the case against me was being completely dismissed. My own caseworker sat there and told me she thought I was a great mother and my home was safe.
It took them 3 months to give me one drug test (even though the whole time I was telling them to drug test me) and then everything was completely thrown out because it was negative. The dismissal paper states exactly that.
I was put thru the wringer, threatened, scared, bullied and abused all for nothing. They put a restraining order on me for a whole week where I wasn’t even allowed to SPEAK to my baby. I did 5 days in jail for Felony Child Endangerment with Intent to Kill for being a legitimate, card-carrying medical marijuana patient.
As you can see, Larissa has suffered greatly and her family was shattered by the lies and the bogus claims that she was put through. The system let this lady down big time and caused undue grief and suffering that still continues to this day.
Larissa confided in me that she is still trying to recover.
“Physically, mentally, emotionally and financially,” she told me that “some days are better than others.” However the trauma and stress make her feel unsafe.
“I feel at any time, I will be attacked in my home again. My son used to have no fear and was so secure and active. Now he’s quiet and just wants to stay home. He gets very upset when I have to leave and he clings to me when he sleeps.”
Larissa is having financial issues from all the expenses she has incurred fighting to clear her name and reclaim her son.
“I was getting by and even had a couple months paid ahead on rent and on my car. Due to this incident, I’m so far behind now, I can barely make rent and my car is 2 months behind and being threatened to be repossessed.”
Larissa is a fighter and said she has “no option but to keep fighting and try to pull myself out of the hole I am in.” Let’s all say a prayer on behalf of our Ocean Beach sister and know that things are tending to looking up for Ms. Danielli and Silas. But also know that there but for the Grace of God go you. Fight the scourge of corrupt government swooping in and trying to ruin a good person for no good reason. God Bless Larissa and Silas Danielli.
{ 39 comments… read them below or add one }
That is good to hear. Sounds like she might have a legal case.
Larissa needs to sue EVERYBODY who was involved in this case for acting under color of law which is a felony. Title 42 section 1983. The cop was acting without authority and knowingly, willingly and intentionally filed a police report that was not true. It doesn’t matter that CWS the judge and everyone else were not communicating. She should contact the FBI and file a complaint with them because they investigate acting under color of law for the department of justice. It sounds like Art (her attorney) could be a part of that too. Also the is a case in Florida where plaintiff received $25,000.00 for being unlawfully arrested on a 20 minutes traffic stop. That is $75,000.00 per hour and the fact that they kidnapped her son.
Bless her. Traumatic experience. So sad that a young child had such cruelty to deal with. Hopefully, they will receive justice and lessen the hurt done to them. Thanks to everyone that stood up for them.
I was thinking about the Paramedics apparently searching her home, and found Marijuana. How is it in their job description to search a person’s home? It could be considered a safety issue if left out, I am sure. But to search? Isn’t it a job for SDPD? Doesn’t there have to be reasonable cause to search a person’s home?
Maybe they just spotted it and not necessarily did an actual search of the home. If that’s the case perhaps it IS still their job to report it? I don’t know, just wondering.
I was onsite it was firefighters then SDPD …not medics.
Thanks, jim grant. Gee, I’m still not perfect. Darn!
simple clarification .
A huge story. Has it made it into the commercial news? A serious question, because it seems to have the elements that could open up police to an examination they’ve been needing. It’s about the bullying, indifference to justice, and too-frequent behavior of a local law enforcement that’s not afraid of nobodies like us. Larissa Danielli, you seem to be a heroine.
How is that not kidnapping?
Well actually water from the firefighters was cascading through the ceiling and into a overhead lighting fixture ( hazard) and onto her property which was directly under the unit that was on fire which the firefighters were removing when they found the cooler. Pretty standard practice really with a fire …
By golly you are right on the money with this one…if you will review the nationally recognized standards of practice for fighting a fire in an apartment (www.imfulloshit.org) it is an accepted, and oft times mandatory, practice to first, and above all else, open all ice chests within the smell of smoke in order to…really? Standard Practice? If it were private citizens it would be at minimum called snooping, and at worse, looting.
Thanks, Jack. Makes sense, and also there must be extensive investigation physically to determine causes.
It is about time. The whole thing is disgusting and nothing more than a modern day witchhunt. Welcome to the most technologically advanced period in our history, where people can educate themselves on just about any topic with the click of a button or two, yet the dark ages keep cropping up as if yesterday was 1012 instead of 2012. It sounds to me like personal or political interests were protected, and a lot of bullsh*t was served. They are obviously doing it wrong.
I guess you wouldn’t call it searching if it was an obvious visible safety hazard. I will go back and read the original statement again.
Devils advocate here but does she have cancer? Why does she need medical marijuana? Don’t think a stoned mother is a good mother. She’s a single stoner mom living off of taxpayer dollars i am sure…
OOOOH, I could spit nails at your obviously prejudiced statement Gdub! I can’t remember exactly what is medically wrong with Larissa, but she stated it in her own article here in the Rag when she last told us she got her kid back. It’s a valid reason, although I’m sure you would find something wrong with it. You obviously only know about pot from whatever twisted media stories you read.
I was a “stoned mother” for many years. Let’s see what that produced. I got my college degree, was married, raised a beautiful son who is now a firefighter and helicopter pilot, I am a working scientist….need I go on?? Ignorance like yours is why we live in such a paranoid, conservative society here in San Diego.
You don’t have to have cancer to be a medical marijuana patient. I have arthritis, got my hip replaced last year because of it. Still need the pot for the pain I still have in the rest of my body. Remember we voted on this years ago and it passed? It’s just the Feds that can’t handle this because it’s not under THEIR CONTROL.
Educate yourself so you don’t sound like an ignoramus.
“You obviously only know about pot from whatever twisted media stories you read.”
Then again Gdub may be a stoned out frat boy.
I think yours is a great and exceptional story. There are those such as yourself that gain the courage to overcome, and then there are those “who chose to take the easy way out.” Easy??????
“Why does she need medical marijuana?”
Why don’t you read her article sparky and then you can find out for yourself.
You are sure she is a stoner mom and lives off the taxpayers money? How dare you make statements such as “I am sure” when you have no idea or proof of what you are saying. Maybe you are a stoner mom. You ask the question, does she have cancer? That shows you lack of education. What you present here appears that you are ill educated for asking such a question. You appear to be closely associated with people that are “stoners,” not only about the marijuana use itself, but living off taxpayer dollars. Go back and read the original article. Perhaps going back to school, if you ever did, would enlighten you
Thanks Lois.
“I was getting by and even had a couple months paid ahead on rent and on my car. Due to this incident, I’m so far behind now, I can barely make rent and my car is 2 months behind and being threatened to be repossessed.”
Directed to the question of Larrisa’s source of income above. Again, none of anyones business. If she did receive financial aid for her child and herself, being financially stable before her nightmare does indeed show she is a responsible person. Does the photo of her child and her look like stoners, healthy and beautiful mother and child? One thing that really touched me was reading how the trauma changed the child. I only hope that he recovers and returns to be the child we see above.
don’t feed the troll, nobody is that stupid.
I work full-time, attend law school full-time and have my own successful business. I was Best Wedding Entertainment, 2010. Not an easy feat for anyone, especially a single mother!! I’m educated, responsible and a good mother…
You shouldn’t have to defend yourself on here Larissa…..we’re trying to do it for you!!
Thank you…and I do greatly appreciate the support. =) It just wasn’t mentioned in the article, so I did want to clear that up as the “stereo-typing” seems to be what brought this incident on…
Oh, how people love to stereotype. Probably attempts to take attention from themselves, which usually does the opposite. May good things come to you and that beautiful child of yours. There is nothing more beautiful than that bond between mother and child. I guess we could give some credit to Dads now and then. You think?
Larissa,
What is it like in jail? I have been sentenced to five days starting on Monday because I will not agree to conspire with the courts to defraud the public out of billions of tax dollars while thousands of lives are devastated.
In 2005, I blew a whistle on how it became a fraud in US public health policy that it was scientifically proven moldy buildings do not harm w the US Chamber of Commerce being heavily involved in mass marketing the deceit. Justice Judith McConnell, Chair of the CA Comm on Judicial Performance, framed me for libel for the writing in her anti-SLAPP opinion of 2006. Made my writing look like it made a false accusation it did not make.
All courts followed her lead, which has allowed the fraud to continue. A juror submitted an affidavit from the 2008 trial which said false hearsay docs got into the jury room which caused a verdict for plaintiff. Back to the Appellate court again in 2009, Huffman and Benke concealed what McConnell had done in 2006.
Then they filed as second law suit against me which gags me from being able to write of what the courts did to a whistle blower that has aided the fraud to continue.
I put a letter to McConnell on the Net asking that she undo the damage from her practicing politics from the bench. Instead, I got a Contempt Of Court charge for repeating the words she framed me for, (and then the next court gagged me from writing, so I could not write of what McConnell et al, did). Now, I am going to jail for refusing to be silent of how corrupt they are. Not kidding. Below is the website with some of the info, including the linked legal documents.
http://contemptofcourtfor.me/
So what is jail like? Is it scary?
Glad to hear he is back with his mom
We are at a point–and have been for some time but a few have not yet awoken to the reality–where the average citizen has more to fear from law enforcement than from any criminal.
Don’t mean to beat a dead horse about Larissa’s experience. But the reason she was prescribed marijuana is no ones business except hers and her physician.
Here is what Larissa wrote in comments to the November article:
“I am the woman arrested. I am the business owner of a DJ company. Upon arriving at the scene, I realized the police had not protected my very EXPENSIVE DJ equipment and were letting it be water damaged. I repeatedly requested that they move my equipment to a safer place and up off of the floor. The officer refused and I kept repeating my request. He then arrested me for “obstruction of justice.” I believe there should first be justice to obstruct, but there wasn’t. The cop was thrilled as could be, saying he was getting me for possession of marijuana and sales, where I was quick to point out I do have a medical marijuana card. The “endangerment to a child” came because the officer couldn’t arrest me for marijuana. My child was at DAYCARE and no where even NEAR the fire, my apartment, or me. But they pressed felony charges, went and picked my kid up from DAYCARE, REFUSED to allow family to take him, and placed him in a childrens home, where he still resides. I spent 5 days in jail for these trumped up charges and now have to fight CPS to get my child back. This was GROSSLY mishandled and I have never felt more violated on how those sent to “protect and serve” had a complete lack of sensitivity, bullied, and made up false accusations. Oh, and they ALSO took away my drivers liscense for having an MMJ card, saying that I am unable to drive if I have an medical marijuana card and I now have to fight the DMV also.”
Me again: I do hope there’s a good lawyer out there who will volunteer to represent her Pro Bono so she can regain some of what she lost. Sadly, neither she nor her child will soon recover psychologically from this rank mistreatment.
Judy: Thank you for bringing this article back to light. I remember something about her having a business looking for this article. So glad you found it. What atrocities we seem frequently to experience. I know this was horrible for Larissa, but to have this sweet child a victim is just heartbreaking.
Good to hear the child is home and safe. Hope they will soon be able to recover from the trauma. Sadly, I bet the both will tend to look over their shoulder for a long time to come after having their rights so violated. Its a terrible thing when law abiding citizens must live in fear of those whose jobs are to protect law abiding citizens.
My neighbor and I opened our homes to Larissa, after reading her story in the Rag. This follow-up story doesn’t come close to describing the torment she was put through. She was an innocent victim of a fire caused by an irresponsible tenant, and further victimized by SDPD and CPS, without compassion. What happened to Larissa is a disgrace and has diminished my views of our entire legal system, from over-zealous cops and CPS workers to court bureacracies.
Thank you for what you and your neighbor did, Kathy. Have you seen Larissa’s own statement, published here a while ago? The follow-up story has a link to it.
She should get an attorney on this ASAP , and maybe contact one or two of the TV stations …