MJ:

Captain Ellis, I understand you have some witnesses.

TC:
MJ: TC:

Yes, sir.
Please call your first witness. The government calls Stacy Skovranko, sir.

Ms. Stacy Skovranko, a civilian; was recalled as a witness by the prosecution, was advised she was still under oath, and testified as follows: DIRECT EXAMINATION Questions by the prosecution.Q. A Ma'am, when you first found out about these allegations, tell the court what were your -- what you thought. Scared. I went through a stage at first -- when I first found out that I didn't want to actually believe it and then when I went in and talked to my daughter and listened to what she had to say and how scared she seemed that broke my heart and I knew and I believed her in an instant. When you first found out, did you take of medical examination anytime shortly She was taken to Dr. Ellenberger. She was like a scope, a camera type thing. insert the scope into her vaginal area pictures. her for any type after that? had to have - - i t 'They had to and take

Q A

Q A DC:

Can you describe what took place during that examination? H was screaming and crying and I had to -Your Honor, I object to this line of questioning. Sergeant Ehlers hasn't been convicted of anything having to do with any penetration through the vagina. Captain Ellis, government's response? Sir, because of the allegation she was forced to undergo this examination and that's -- that examination and the affect it!s had on Stacy Skovranko is the reason we are list suing t o thi s test itnony The objection is overruled, I will allow it.

MJ: TC:

MJ:

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I had -- she was screaming and crying and turning away giving the doctor pretty much a face, you know/ to do it, I had to hold her down on the bed so that he could do his examination. Then about -- just having to do. that was really heart wrenching for me. What type of psychological or emotion problems have you had because of this? I've had to -- I'm going to counselling to a. doctor over at the Naval Hospital there at Parr is Island, been diagnosed with depression. I have to take Paxil during the day and to sleep at night I have to take Trazodone to help me sleep, and I'm not able just to do the normal things I always used to do. I can't go out and get a job because I'm afraid to leave my children with anybody. I don't trust anybody to take care of my children. It just makes it. really hard. I'm sorry. Have you had a chance to observe your daughter sleeping over these past few years? Yes. There are several nights where R will have nightmares and wake up screaming and, of course, wakes myself up and I have to go in there and console her and get her to calm back down and tell her that there's nothing that can hurt her . Some nights I ' ve had to actually sleep holding H in my arms so that she would actually stay asleep at night. It's just --in the four years that have passed it's just really hard because you don't know what to do or how to react to certain things and you do the best that you can and sometimes you don't feel like it's -- that you're doing enough to console, and that there breaks my heart, makes me feel like I'm lacking somewhere. Thank you. I don't have anymore questions.

Q A

Q A

TC:

MJ: DC: MJ:

TC:

Defense, cross-examination? Sir, we have no questions. Captain Ellis, warning or recall?

No, sir.

MJ:

Lieutenant Melowcowsky, do you see any need for warning or recall \?

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No, sir.

The witness was excused and withdrew from the courtroom. MJ: TC: Additional evidence.

Sir, the government calls are RP2 Paul Skovranko.

Petty Officer Paul Skovranko, U. S. Navy, was recalled as a witness by the prosecution, was advised he was still under oath/ and testified as follows: DIRECT EXAMINATION Questions by the prosecution: Q. A Petty Officer Skovranko, where were you at when you first found out about what happened to your daughter? I was actually at work, sir. We were having a car wash and my wife had called and said I needed to come home and kind of gave me a few details. I informed my command and I went home, sir.

Q
A

What did you do when you got home?

Took my daughter into another room and at first I tried to get my daughter to tell me what she had mentioned to her mother. When she finally told you what happened, how did that make you feel at that point? It's hard to explain the feeling. It actually crushed me because that's my little girl. You can't explain as a parent how you feel when your daughter finally tells you something has happened to her. I was confused. Part of me didn't want to believe it because that's my baby, but the other part of me was you got to listen to it. Why didn't you want to believe it? I think partially because I felt guilty going off to Iraq and leaving my daughter at home. Part of me didn't want to believe her just because it's your kid and you don't ever want to believe your child -- something would happen to your child. Have these events affected your work? They have, sir. I actually thought about getting out of the military.

Q A

Q A

Q A

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A

Why is that?
Because I'ra due to deploy here in a few months and I don't know how that little girl is going to handle her daddy being gone since something happened to her the last time I was gone. I actually contemplated on getting out of the military, something I absolutely love. 1 don't know if I did the right thing by staying in. I know there's -- I don't know how she's going to handle it I'll be honest with you. It's affected my decisions on how I live the rest of my life because of what has happened. Do you currently have neighbors where you live right now in South Carolina? We do, sir. What's Hv 's relationship like with the people you live next to? She really doesn't - - w e don't let her out of the yard. On occasions, you know, she'll have a friend over. We just - - w e don't trust her with anybody.

A
Q A

Q A

Have you had an opportunity to observe her while she's sleeping over the past few years? Quite a few times. She wakes up in the middle of the night -- when I say wake up, she's still sleeping and screaming. You go in and she's still half asleep, if not completely asleep, but she's screaming. You just got to grab her, put her in your arms and pretty much rock her back to sleep as much as possible. Every now and then she'11 wake up completely and she's what was going on. But that's -- that's been our life for four years, sir. During that time have you been going through any couns e 11 ing ? I have, sir. Being in the field I'm in, I work directly with the Chaplain. I've done quite a bit of counseling with them per se. But outside of them and professionally, I>ve gone through Oak Cottage, we've done individual counselling, we've done a group therapy type thing, children that it's happened to, their parents. But, yes, I have seen -- done counselling. If you could estimate, how many hours a week have you spend in counselling over the past three or four years? A week -- it's kind of hard because professionally with Oak Cottage it's a little different than talking with
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Q A

Q A

people, you know, your priest or whatever the case may be. I'd probably say a couple of hours a week. Q A Overall can you just describe how these events have affected you over the past few years by knowing and watching what your daughter has gone through? It's affected my whole family. Me personally in the aspect of we don't have anybody watch our children. We've decided as a family for my wife to stay home. We had plans for her to go to work but she needs to stay home because I don't trust my son going to day care. My daughter is in school now so, you know, after school would be a concern. But once in a rare while when we have family come out they'll watch our children for maybe an hour while we run to get something to eat and right back home, and it's not even an enjoyable meal because you want to get home so quick because you're scared. We never thought this would happen to our child. I don't think any parent ever thinks it's going to happen to their child, and in my job field we've done counselling for this same thing and I can tell you I was way off when I sat down and listened to someone talk about what happened to their child. I was way off because you can't explain that feeling. Thank you. Cross-examination? We have no questions. EXAMINATION BY THE COURT Questions by the military judge: Q
A

TC: MJ: DC:

Petty Officer, I do not understand your last response with respect to being "way off." Yes, sir. What did you mean by that? Sir, there for awhile I was a victim advocate for the Base and we would respond to any sexual abuses either be it children or adults, and you sit there with the parents, and even prior to let's say Parris Island during counselling cases here at Camp Pendleton that we sit down with the chaplain and you hear what had happened to other people's children and you try to put

Q A

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yourself in that situation and how you feel, how you would feel, and that's what I meant I was way off. I mean, because you can't put yourself in that situation until you are actually there. MJ: Thank you, Petty Officer.

WIT:
MJ:
TC: DC:

Aye, sir.
Questions in light of mine?
No, sir. No, sir.

MJ:
TC: DC:

Warning or recall?
No, sir. No, sir.

The witness was excused and withdrew from the courtroom.

MJ: TC: Additional evidence from the government? Sir, the government has two exhibits that we'd like to offer at this time. Prosecution Exhibit 3 for identification is pages of the accused's Service Record Book, and it's at your table, sir, and has been marked -- it's at the court reporter's table, the originals. Prosecution Exhibit 4 for identification is the accused's Basic Individual and Basic Training Record, also at your table, sir, and the original is over with the court reporter. The government would offer Prosecution Exhibits 3 and 4 for identification into evidence and ask that the letters "FID" be deleted. MJ: Lieutenant Melowcowsky, have you had an opportunity to inspect Prosecution Exhibit 3 for identification, which appears to be an 11-page document. It appears to be pages from the right side of the accused's Service Record Book. Yes, sir, I have.

DC:

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