Gary Staton: Caring Dad or Selfish Douche?
September 28, 2008 by Lizard
Omaha, NE – Gary Staton and his wife Rebel married at 18 and were prolific, producing 10 children over the course of their 17+ year partnership. Sadly, about 17 months ago, shortly after the birth of their 10th child, Rebel died of a brain aneurysm. Any single parent can tell you that caring for one child can be difficult, and when meeting the needs of his 10 children became too demanding, Gary Staton packed up nine of them this past Wednesday, dropped them off at Creighton University Medical Center, and left. The next day, a neighbor saw him with his girlfriend, loading a blue suitcase into a car.Â
The one child not abandoned is Staton’s 18-year-old daughter.
Nebraska was the last state to enact a so-called “Safe Haven” law — a law that allows unwanted children to be turned over with no questions asked. Of course, Nebraska made up for the delay by going far beyond the strictures of the laws set in place by other states; while most allow “safe haven” only for newborns and narrowly define who can turn a child over, Nebraska allows a “caregiver” to leave any child under age 19 at a hospital. At least 16 children have been abandoned since the law took effect in July, but the case of the Staton children is perhaps the most troubling.
In an interview with KETV, Staton said he left his children because he was overwhelmed. “I hope their future is better without me around them,” he told the station. “I was with [Rebel] for 17 years, and then she was gone. What was I going to do? We raised them together. I didn’t think I could do it alone. I fell apart. I couldn’t take care of them.”
However, as reported by in the Omaha World-Herald, there are indications that Gary and Rebel together couldn’t quite swing it, either. In 2004, the children were removed when it was discovered the home had a broken septic tank, no gas, and no water. Officers observed containers of human waste. Even when the children were returned nine months later, problems persisted. Neither Gary nor Rebel held a steady job, and on more than one occasion, Health and Human Services paid their rent and utility bills. Psychologists’ reports suggested that Gary lacked common sense and that Rebel expressed “distorted thinking” — while she resisted getting a job, ignored eviction notices, and wouldn’t help with cooking and cleaning, she wanted still more children.
Relatives of the family were shocked and upset when they learned of Gary Staton’s abandonment of his children. Maternal grandmother Dawn Stuart also was interviewed by KETV and indicated had Staton only asked for help, the family would’ve provided it. Stuart saw Staton and the children the SundaySunday reviews
before he took them to the hospital. “I knew something was bothering him and I asked if anything was wrong and he said, ‘No,’ and three days later he does this.â€
As you can imagine, the comments sections of media Web sites are buzzing over this case. At the site of the Norfolk Daily News, a commenter choosing the name “the aunt” wrote:
When my sister died we were all there and we all helped him in every way possible. And when the state did that extra payment with the taxes and his taxes he got about 7.000.00 and that is when he quit his job and met his girlfriend which she, i believe, has 4 or 5 kids and costudy of none of them,
she had 2 for a visit and Gary took her and her two kids and told his kids they cant go because they are to expensive. they had just spent the weekend with a aunt and when he got them he did not say anything about turning them over. He waited for his oldest to go to work and then took them. If he would have told us about his plans they would have never been at hospital. All I feel for is the KidsKids reviews, when a dad chooses a girlfriend over his own children what do you call him. His oldest daughter has done more for her sisters and brothers then he has.
The nine children range in age from 1 to 17 and remain in foster care while HHS officials determine if they can be placed with family members.
Over in the forums, Ruby’s seeing red, Staton’s getting some traffic in Unamused Cat’s thread on the Nebraska law, and RobbieSue thinks this reality bites.
10:18 pm on September 28th, 2008
Thanks for getting this one, Lizard – great writeup as usual. I was initially in Gary’s corner on this, but after reading your article i’m gonna have to take “selfish douche” for $500, Alex. Even so, i’d a lot rather he ditch the kids in a hospital than pimp them out, shoot them, or some of the other things overwhelmed, selfish parents do.
Wanna bet he keeps the gf’s kids, though?
10:25 pm on September 28th, 2008
How sad, I can only imagine what those kids are feeling. First to lose their Mom (no matter how worthless), then all to be thrown away in one fell swoop. I guess he wanted p*ssy more than he wanted his children.
10:48 pm on September 28th, 2008
DeceasedMom’s”distorted thinking” could have been the aneurysm/leaking right? Or maybe not. This guy just sounds like a mixture of selfish and retarded. Kids are better off w/o him.
10:51 pm on September 28th, 2008
I’m with Imp on this one. He is a Douche Extraordinaire. On the upside, he didn’t rape, murder or sell any of them. Abandonment isn’t much better, but at least he abandoned them in a safe place. He should have his testicles removed to keep him from producing any more offspirng.
12:19 am on September 29th, 2008
Selfish douche for sure… The only thing going for him is that he didn’t kill them all to be done with them. I can’t even imagine what these poor children are feeling. Abandoned without any understanding to why their father doesn’t want them anymore. Poor children. I hope extended family gets them back…seems like they are wanted .
12:21 am on September 29th, 2008
Don’t start your own soccer team if you can’t handle a bunch of kids. They should make it where you have to submit to chemical or physical castration if you are going to ditch your kids.
12:27 am on September 29th, 2008
The dynamics here make my head hurt. A mother who wants to keep having children (echoes of Michelle Duggar, anyone?), a father who allows it. How many children would they now have were she still alive? And a new state law that allows a caretaker to just drop the kids off and be done with them.
1:31 am on September 29th, 2008
I’m still trying to process the fact that mom’s name was “Rebel.”
1:46 am on September 29th, 2008
Married at 18… and still together 17 years later? That is impressive. That is 1 positive, that they made it last that long.
Sadly, mom dies. Family tries to step up, dad doesn’t let them?
Sad, Dad chooses what he thinks will be the easier of the lives. Probably still devastated mom has died in the last year…
It seems that they had a lot of issues, and probably never grew up. Personally I don’t see a damn thing wrong with having a small gaggle of children (IF you can take care of them – IF).
I hope the kids do get to stay with family. They deserve at least that. I am surprised the 17 year old did nothing to stop what was going on… my own teenager would’ve flipped out on me.
2:15 am on September 29th, 2008
Lacking common sense is a psychological diagnosis now?
8:44 am on September 29th, 2008
Considering the fact that he’s a lazy fucked up individual, he did the unselfish thing by giving them up. I have trouble believing that the family was unaware of the situation though. I don’t know, maybe I come from a place where I keep tabs on my loved ones.
We often criticize (as they deserve it) those who bring harm upon their children and ask, “If you didn’t want them, or it was too hard to take care of them, why not give them up?”. I say Semi-kudo’s to him for doing what we request every day of screwball parents.
I only give him half because he doesn’t seem to manage to hold a job. Had he of been a productive individual, he wouldn’t had found himself in this predicament. May have been emotionally draining, but financially, he may have been able to handle the heavy burden. As for the girlfriend, not having custody of ones kids =mad mother. His children are better off without him/them.
9:18 am on September 29th, 2008
I’ll take that bet Imp.
I don’t understand how stupid people can just keep having kids when you can’t handle it. You’d think one of them would have a little sense.
I have 6 and for me it was wonderful. But it was ALOT of work. You can’t think you’re going to have all these kids and not have to work to pay for everything they need.
And then come home and work even harder to take of them and spend time with them. And make sure they grow up to be amazing, productive people.
Sounds to me like they were lazy and selfish. Maybe mom was a little nuts, but still someone should have got snipped……..
9:32 am on September 29th, 2008
well he may b selfish but he didnt kill them…
10:21 am on September 29th, 2008
If the woman chose to turn her vagina into a clown car and make her own version of “cheaper by the dozen” it’s her business that is until neither she or her husband can care for the off spring properly then it becomes tax payers business.
I am grateful that he didn’t abuse these kids but they still will be better off without him as a father.
Seeming as how he is unemployed and with new girlfriend in tow.
I hope the kids don’t get split up though it is likely they will be.. how many people are willing to take in 9 kids at once?
I hope he and his girlfriend don’t get any crazy ideas and produce more crotch fruit together.
White trash women who lose their kids always end up making more to replace the ones they lost.
I have seen this phenomenon myself..
my husband’s ex took off and abandoned the boys 8 years ago
they were just babies at the time.
She never paid child support,called,visited or helped in any way she just disappeared off the face of the earth.But first she called my husbands mom and told her she wanted her freedom and didn’t want the kids.
Granted from what I was told she was a shitty mom to begin with she drank and slept all day, left the babies in their dirty diapers and to their own devices until my husband got home from work.He had to leave work regularly to spot check the kids.When he got home he took care of the kids and cleaned the house.
He wanted to leave her but was terrified to since she was a woman he thought she’d get custody. but luckily she left on her own.
When I adopted the boys it was discovered she had yet another baby!I was mortified. I personally think she should have been sterilized since she already had two she abandoned and owes 40k on.
Delusional white trash brain
“I will do it better this time” “it will be perfect!”
10:33 am on September 29th, 2008
I’m on the fence with this one. He had to be unstable and not right in the head. I’m sure the kids were overwhelming for one parent. He didn’t kill them so they would be in a “better place” unlike some of these other psycho’s, but how unwated those kids must feel. They are unstable and they need help to get over the loss of their Mom. Why didn’t he take them to someone else in the family for care? At least they know the person and aren’t scared to death and not sure what’s going to happen to them. We’ll have to see, if he takes the girlfriends kids then yeah burn in hell, but if not then maybe he seriuosly had a breakdown……
10:56 am on September 29th, 2008
A selfless and responsible person would not have had children that they could not provide for.
The documented PS, before the death of his wife, clearly shows that he AND his wife had previous problems providing for their children’s basic needs, yet they continued to have children. Unfortunately, people who neglect their children fail to see that it takes much more than simply being in love with your child, or being in love with the idea of having a child, to make someone a parent.
This guy should have had nuts smashed long before his wife passed away. Despite what he should or shouldn’t have done in the past … the sad reality is that there are nine (9) real live human beings suffering Now.
1:40 pm on September 29th, 2008
Containers of human waste… Yeah thats this asshole in a nutshell!!!!!!
4:17 pm on September 29th, 2008
Sounds to me like they are better off without this douchebag.
6:26 pm on September 29th, 2008
Hell yeah!!!
When the oldest one or two reach 18 they will be able (if they are in a good position????) to petition the court for custody. These kids are missing a mom but are way way better off without him!!!
7:58 am on September 30th, 2008
I vote for all three.
Yes he was overwhelmed.
Yes he was a selfish douche choosing pussy over the kids.
And also he had a complete lack of common sense. Even if he’d had just one child, who quits their job over a $7000 stimulus check?
If it had just been that he was overwhelmed, he would have been “Shazam! That’s rent and utilities for a couple of months! Gee if I put aside some from my paycheck in the meantime, I’ll have enough for a couple more months.”
I think he and Rebel were a few sandwiches short of a picnic, before they had the 6th, 7th, 8th, etc. kids and I’m sure went slowly insane.
I would, but I’m reasonably certain I would combat total bat shit craziness by focusing on “what do the kids need and how can I get/do it for them?”
10:28 am on October 2nd, 2008
Lizard/Imp — You guys beat the Today Show on this story by several days. Guess that’s what happens when you dwell on politics every single second of every single day.
See, networks, there are other newsworthy stories out there. Thanks to DD we can keep up with the juicy ones!!
But I still don’t understand why they kept having kids. After so many, doesn’t the state cut you off from aid (except medical)? I believe they do here (VA). But then in VA, they also do not pay for elective terminations (unless mom’s life is in danger).
1:10 pm on October 5th, 2008
I love the comment “If he just would have asked for help”. Right..a household where one person trying is trying to care for 10 kids after the death of a spouse with no septic system/gas/water and cartons of human waste hanging around..pretty much screams for somekind of help. Geez,,,there are so many people in this world who can’t have kids and then idiots like this are so fucking fertile. Get those kids into a good loving home and pray that they can forget where they came from.
10:49 am on October 13th, 2008
While I agree it was selfish to choose his girlfriend or a simple life over his children that he helped create…I also think they are better off without him and he should never get them back! He could have pulled a Susan Smith and drowned them, but he didn’t. If more people would take his course of action, the DD wouldn’t have any retarded baby killers to write about! He is selfish and should burn in hell, but a different hell than Susan Smith or Darlie what’s her name from Texas.
4:56 pm on October 16th, 2008
If you’re not prepared to care for children, don’t have children. This guy is a douchetard. And he BETTER not have any babies wth his new GF.
3:07 am on August 22nd, 2009
Hey everyone! I’ve got a great update on this human turd. It looks like he knocked up that chick he drove off into the sunset with, AND SHE’S PREGNANT WITH TWINS!
Not a joke. Check out this link:
You bleeding-hearts still feel sorry for him NOW?
Think you got something worth saying? Type it out. If you don't wanna look lame, get rid of that default avatar and go get you a gravatar! Tell 'em Morbid sent ya'. Lastly, as far as we are concerned, posting a comment means that you have read our Disclaimer.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Search Dreamin’ Demon
Login
The Dreamin Demon Wants You
Check ‘Em Out!
Recent Comments
Recent Media Reviews
Twitter
Your Ad Here
Facebook Crap
Drink The Kool-Aid
Archives
Kickass Sites
Copyright © 2009 · Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License · DreaminDemon Blood Red theme by Lee Malta.
Get a Blog · WordPress · Log in