BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — A prayer rally is being held this weekend for a Broken Arrow couple fighting to reunite with their grandson.
T-shirts are also being sold for the Woolley’s legal funds, and a new billboard is up at the intersection of Highway 51 and Highway 69 in Wagoner to promote the upcoming prayer rally.
Ekklesia of Oklahoma is hosting the rally Saturday, Oct. 15 at 10 a.m. outside the Wagoner County Courthouse for the Woolleys.
The main question the couple wants answered, according to Lisa Woolley, is this: “Why convicted criminals who are incarcerated can see their children but no one in our family, whether they were ever accused of anything or not?”
FOX23 has extensively covered the couple’s continued fight to see their now 10-year-old grandson again.
He was 5-years-old when he was taken from their home during an investigation into the death of his baby brother Elijah at the same home.
At one point, Bill Woolley was accused of murder and child sexual abuse of the baby as well as their older grandchild. These accusations were partly based on the Medical Examiner’s report at the time.
Charges were dropped in 2021 after the state of Oklahoma’s child death expert was willing to testify for the defense with his review of the autopsy, saying he found no evidence of homicide.
Earlier this year, the Wagoner County District Attorney Jack Thorp told FOX23 he was investigating possible new information about child sexual abuse involving the Woolley’s living grandson.
However, this week he said: “I do not have an active investigation into the allegations of child sexual abuse.”
Thorp went on to say the couple should be seen as innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The couple said the claim of any new revelations was just the latest effort to keep their family apart, and they feel they’ve faced obstacle after obstacle.
They also said their daughter, the children’s mother, also has a guardianship case to get her son out of foster care as well.
“It doesn’t make sense morally, ethically, legally, there is no reason for them to do what they’re doing,” Bill Woolley said.
The family is currently suing DHS over how the case was handled.
In a statement provided to FOX23, a DHS spokesperson said:
“We do not make decisions in a vacuum. Every child welfare case is different and the specific details in those cases impact decisions made by OKDHS, the courts, District Attorneys and others who participate in any case. OKDHS is dedicated to protecting the safety and wellbeing of Oklahoma’s children.”
The couple told FOX23 that the rally is about raising awareness about the case to the public.
“It’s the thing that we’ve seen the most, is where the public pressure is applied to election officials, they tend to do more what’s right, because they’re in the spotlight,” Bill Woolley said.
Lisa Woolley talked about how she would feel if the legal battles and the rallies came to an end, and she’d get the chance to reunite with her grandson.
“I don’t know what to say about it. It would be like, the biggest dream of my life coming true,” she said.
The judge handling the Woolley’s child welfare case has said she cannot legally discuss cases involving juveniles.
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