Mother Of Missing Hoggle Kids Wants Charges Dropped

ROCKVILLE, MD — An attorney for Catherine Hoggle, the 30-year-old schizophrenic mother of two missing children, argued in court Thursday that charges against her should be dropped. Hoggle was the last person to see the siblings in September 2014 and has refused to say what became of them, only that Sarah, now 6, and son Jacob, now 5, are safe with someone.

Hoggle faces misdemeanor charges of neglect, obstruction and hindering in the case. Until she can face trial, a Montgomery County judge will not allow her to be interrogated about the fate of the children. Hoggle's doctors at Clifton T. Perkins Hospital, the state psychiatric hospital where she's been in treatment for almost three years, have repeatedly said she can't assist in her own defense, and at her July 6 status hearing the judge ruled she remained incompetent to stand trial.

Prosectors with Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office have suggested Hoggle is malingering and said they're building a murder case against her. Troy Turner, the missing children's father and Hoggle's longtime partner, has maintained that Catherine is acting a part so she can avoid trial on charges linked to the children's disappearance. On social media Turner has said that Catherine tried at least eight times last year to escape from her maximum security facility, either by tying bedsheets together or taking a security card from staffers.

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A Sept. 15 hearing was scheduled to argue attorney David Felsen’s motion that charges be dismissed against Hoggle. He said in court Thursday that Maryland law requires that charges unless a defendant is charged with a felony or a crime of violence, misdemeanor charges must be dismissed after three years, WTOP reports. The last of the three misdemeanors Hoggle faceswas filed Sept. 15, 2014.

Turner and other family members and friends were in court Thursday, in an effort to get “justice for my children.” He told Montgomery Community Media that prosecutors may file more charges against Hoggle. “They feel like they have a good case for a no body homicide,” Turner said. “My main concern is bringing my kids home. If they are dead… they need to come home.”

The Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office has not commented on how it will proceed in the case.

Next week brings the three-year anniversary of the disappearance of Sarah and Jacob on Sept. 7 and 8 from their Clarksburg home. Although he is not sure how he will spend those days, Turner said there has been talk of a balloon release and maybe a memorial service.

SEE ALSO:

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Jacob was last seen with his mother on Sept. 7, 2014, in Darnestown or Clarksburg; Sarah was last seen with Hoggle on the morning of Sept. 8, 2014. Hoggle's family says she is paranoid and was making plans to leave the area, so she gave the young children to someone for safekeeping. On Sept. 12, 2014, Hoggle was found and arrested in Germantown.

Catherine's mother, Lindsey Hoggle, believes her grandchildren are still alive. “I want Sarah and Jacob home,” she told the county website after Thursday’s court hearing. “It’s time we resolve this mystery.”

Turner has implored the public to sign an online petition launched to spur public awareness about the youngsters as a way to bring them home. He asks that the judge change earlier rulings and let police question the mentally ill mother about what she did with young Sarah and Jacob.

SEE ALSO:

• Missing Hoggle Kids: Prosecutor's Case Dealt a Setback
• Missing Hoggle Kids: Is Mom 'Trying to Work System'?
• Missing Hoggle Kids: Mom Again Found Not Competent to Stand Trial
• Missing Hoggle Kids: Hope Alive One Year After Disappearance
• 'Mystery Must End' Says Missing Hoggle Kids' Grandmother

"Sarah and Jacob Hoggle were taken by their mother, Catherine Hoggle, almost two years ago never to be seen again. She remains in an inpatient psychiatric facility where she is protected by patient rights," Turner said on the petition site last year. "Police and other important officials are unable to question her as to the whereabouts of the children due to Judge Wolfe's order. We are asking this order be lifted so we can finally bring our children home."

Jacob's 5th birthday was July 3. Turner posted a "happy birthday" message to Jacob on Facebook, saying: "Happy birthday my beautiful baby boy. I feel like this post should be about how big he's gotten and all of the things that we're doing today. However my babies still aren't home. Instead of celebrating a birthday, I'm just praying they're alive," Montgomery Community Media reports.

Hoggle is a schizophrenic who reportedly refused to stay on her medication. Turner has said in interviews and on social media that Catherine understands her situation based on conversations with her and that she should be questioned in court about the children’s fate.

Police interviewed Catherine for more than 10 hours when she was first found, her mother said. While Lindsey spoke with her daughter several times a day for part of 2015, she has not seen her since Catherine fled home with the children.

Family members ask anyone in the Clarksburg area who may have seen Sarah and Jacob to message the Facebook page, call or text (301) 549-9044 or submit a tip on the website www.findsarahfindjacob.com. Tips can be made anonymously.

»Photos of Sarah and Jacob Hoggle, courtesy of the FindSarahFindJacob Facebook page