Injustice For The Sake Of Justice

Authored By:  Bradley Chapline
Page Seven
2003 - Revised 2022

It was now mid-year of 1976 and I was again deployed overseas. I had received a letter from my old friends who lived on the first floor of the row house on East Gough Street. In this letter they told me that Michael was raising himself. They said that the living conditions were filthy. They pleaded with me in this letter that if I cared about Michael I had to do something. They also told me that Debbie was pregnant with Gary Blankenship’s baby and that she had full intentions of underhandedly making me the biological father of this about to be born child. Additionally, after giving birth, Debbie had the actual nerve to notify via Red Cross message that my daughter was born October of 1976. She had named the child Melissa Christina Chapline. I couldn’t believe it. It was apparent that Debbie was, as my friends warned me about, going to stick me with the child support of now two children of whom I was not the biological father. But, first things were first, the well-being of Michael.


While still overseas I wrote a letter to Juanita begging her to take custody of Michael. Juanita wrote me back and said that she sees Michael quite often and that he is okay. Juanita told me that anyway, I had no say so in the matters that concerned Michael. I disagreed. But, I privately wondered now if the folks down on the first floor were telling me the absolute truth or whether this was some type of retaliation against Debbie. I was well aware that they hated each other. I informed no one of when I was due to return stateside.


It was the latter part of 1976. From Camp Lejeune I went to Baltimore by bus. I wanted to see for myself what was going on with Michael. I still had the key to the row house at the East Gough Street address. This time before entering I made sure no one was home. Upon entering the second floor I quickly realized that what my friends were telling me was the truth. The living conditions were horrible. As I walked in and turned the lights on, the roaches scattered everywhere. The trash was stacked shoulder high and the smell was unbearable for me to handle. I then walked into the kitchen. There was scummy water in the sink and dirty dishes stacked as high as possible on top of each other.


I then called Child Protective Services within the division of Social Services and reported the conditions that I had found. I also discovered a divorce decree that was addressed to Gary Blankenship at Debbie’s house. I took these documents. I have never seen Debbie again from this point. There was no way that I would ever lower myself again to Debbie’s level. I decided that the only way to deal with her was through the legal system. In late 1976 and early 1977 I retained from North Carolina a Maryland lawyer named Emory Plitt. On Blankenship’s divorce decree I had noticed that his then wife had retained this lawyer. I figured that Debbie was more than likely the reason that Mrs. Blankenship had filed for divorce from her husband. I also figured that if I hired her lawyer I could easily obtain Mrs. Blankenship as a witness in my case to help substantiate the facts I would need to prove against Debbie. This wasn’t to be. Not even close.


Emory Plitt informed me that it would be a conflict of interest for him to even consider having one of his past clients even remotely associated with this case between Debbie and me that I was preparing to develop. Emory Plitt did advise me, however, that I could file for divorce from Debbie on grounds of adultery and thereby dispute the paternity of the two presumed children of the marriage. I agreed to this course of action. The Department of Social Services, I discovered, was representing Debbie. I was stunned!!! I thought, “How the hell could this agency defend a woman who had committed, and was still committing, so many acts of fraud against them. I just didn’t see it at this time in my life, but the writing was on the wall, ever so clearly.


Debbie and her lawyer from Legal Aid effectively stalemated the divorce proceedings that I was pursuing. I thought, “What the fuck kind of lawyer did I hire when he can’t even beat this bimbo attorney from Legal Aid?” Debbie contended when we were first married I had borrowed $1,000.00 cash from her father. She further contended that I owed her father $500.00 for the 1964 Mercury that I had obtained. This was not true. I had never borrowed anything from anyone in their family. Hell, these scumbags didn’t have a cent to their name anyways! The bureaucratic stalemate lasted for months. I would not give in. There was no way in hell I would ever let Debbie extort one more penny from me, no matter what the consequences were. And there were consequences for me!!!



I had now received military orders to report to the First Marine Brigade in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, located on the island of Oahu. Emory Plitt had told me with this stalemate concerning the claim of the money, he could no longer proceed in this matter until it was cleared up. When I had notified my attorney that I had orders to report to Hawaii he advised me the best that he could do for me was to offer me a separation agreement. I turned this action down simply because it would not dispute the fact of the paternity of the two children. A separation agreement in the state of Maryland means that you and your spouse must stay apart for three years, and then an automatic no-fault divorce is granted. I informed my attorney that this was not acceptable to me. I then received a letter from Mr. Plitt that there was no more he could do for me reference this matter. Shortly thereafter I departed for Hawaii. Years later, I became aware of the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Relief Act. It basically stated that any legal action pending was to be held in limbo until that military person returned to the continental United States. Emory Plitt never advised me of this law. This would prove to be devastating to the future of my case against Debbie and her mounting baby factory.


It is now mid-year 2003. I have been involved in legal battles with this case for a period of three decades now. Although I have spent thousands of dollars in legal expenses, I have lived by my word. Debbie never got another red cent from me. I am nearing the age of 50 years old now. I am looking for ways to end this nearly three decade standoff.
This ordeal has surely taken its toll on me. I definitely feel the effects.


Did Debbie set me up just to use me as the natural father of all the children she had with other men? Yes, she did. Did Debbie effectively convince both her family and mine, along with my friends, that I physically attacked a newborn child? Yes, she did. Has Debbie manipulated the legal and welfare systems to the point that she has been allowed to commit atrocious acts of fraud against the government and still have that same government defend her? Yes, she did. Did Debbie also play a role in ending my career as a U.S. Marine? On this, only partially. Has Debbie won the long term battle of this emotional war? Yes, she has. Debbie has won because I was wrong. I wished for and received something I should have never been asking for. A sexually provocative, tough, street-wise girl. Would any person with common sense expect to get anything different with a woman like this? I took bad situations and made them worse. This story highlights this fact. By the time I began to take the proper courses of action it was too late. I had clearly crossed the line into the area of being served “Injustice For The Sake Of Justice”. Unbeknownst to me at the time, Debbie was what I wished for and as time went by I discovered Debbie was exactly what I got!!!.​

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