According to the criminal complaint, Barrett’s wife told a Sauk County deputy sheriff he was sleeping the morning of the primary election when one of his children was making noise in their home near Arena. Barrett charged out of the bedroom saying “that’s it” and the boy said Barrett struck him on the back.

The bail jumping charge stems from a few days later when police say Barrett picked up the car his wife was using from outside a Madison home where she and the children were staying. When he was charged with disorderly conduct, Barrett had been ordered to stay away from his wife and was allowed to pick up personal property only after notifying her in advance and with a law enforcement officer present. That is the routine manner in which domestic dispute incidents are handled.

Barrett says his wife concocted the story of him striking the child because she was trying to extort money from him. His wife has also been unhappy with the attention he gets for his advocacy of the idea the United States government, not foreign terrorists, caused the collapse of the World Trade Towers on Sept. 11, 2001.

I can see it now: “Your honor, I am completely innocent. You see, the Government is out to get me.”

In other words, when you dismiss the words of rational scientists because it doesn’t conform with your irrational beliefs, you tend to lose credibility.

The lede paragraph of the article makes it out like he was arrested for swatting his child, which I take to mean an open hand across the butt. Slapping a kid on his presumably bare back is, at best, bad aim. And it’s always best to follow the letter of the law when the ex has filed a restraining order. I have no idea how that translates into a bail jumping charge.

Hat tip: IPR.

The Schaumburg Freedom Coalition is a group of concerned citizens who are keeping tabs on the government of the Village of Schaumburg to ensure that the people’s rights are protected from overreaching government. We focus on issues such as corporate welfare, tax policy, government transparency and eminent domain abuse.

And their “blog” is organized like a news organization Website. And the reporting on freedom-related issues is top notch, including this piece that provides evidence against the benefits of stop-light cameras.

Cross posted to Peoria Pundit.