Grandparents must show Craig unfit parent
JOLIET — Threats Craig Stebic allegedly made toward his now-missing wife could be used against him in a pending grandparent visitation case.
Lisa Stebic’s family has asked Craig about things he may have said in front of his children, including an alleged threat to “cut Lisa Stebic into pieces and no one would ever find her,” according to court documents.
(STNG File Photo)
Or the time he allegedly said Lisa’s face “would be on the back of a milk carton someday.”
The quote confirmations, which were among the questions Lisa’s family wants Craig to answer under oath, were made public this week as part of a court filing.
In order to get court-approved visits with their grandchildren, Lisa’s parents and grandparents must prove in court that Craig Stebic is an unfit parent.
They believe asking Craig to confirm some things he allegedly said before Lisa was reported missing last year could help with that effort.
Several of the questions Lisa’s family has asked relate to a report filed Dec. 24, 2006, with the Plainfield Police Department, the only time local police say they responded to an argument at the Stebic house.
That night Lisa went out for drinks with a friend. When she got home, she was not able to get into her house in the 13200 block of Red Star Drive, said Melanie Greenberg, a family spokeswoman.
Craig called the police, Greenberg said. When officers tried negotiating with the couple to get Lisa into the house, Craig allegedly said in effect that “the police should arrest Lisa Stebic”; that “if Lisa entered the home there would be trouble”; that if Lisa entered the house “(Craig) would knock Lisa on her ass”; and that “if Lisa entered the home it would not be pretty.”
Those statements, as well as one saying police should “take their time” and “bring reinforcements” if they ever come back to the house, are direct quotes from the police report filed that Christmas Eve, Greenberg said.
Lisa’s family also asks whether Craig ever told the children that Lisa abused drugs or alcohol or that she cheated on him; whether he makes alcohol in his home, and if so, whether the children help; and whether Craig taught his son, now age 11, to shoot a gun before he entered kindergarten.
Craig’s attorney Dion Davi has objected to the list and did not have Craig answer any of them, saying the Ruttenbergs asked more questions than they are allowed by law.
Davi and Timothy Daw, the attorney for Lisa’s parents and grandparents, Judith and Lawrence Ruttenberg and Milton and Charlotte Ruttenberg, were in court Friday on the issue. The case was set for a hearing May 15.
The Ruttenbergs, who say Craig has prohibited Lisa’s family from seeing the children, filed their petition for grandchild visitation in November.
Daw said Craig is purposely delaying the case from moving forward. Davi has denied that claim.
“They’re not following the rules. They’re making up their own rules as they go along,” Davi said outside the courtroom. “We haven’t even gotten to the fact that the questions they’re asking go far beyond visitation issues.”
Davi previously accused Lisa’s family of using the visitation petition as a way to investigate Lisa’s disappearance. Lisa’s family and Plainfield police have denied that.
“They seem to think that we’re somehow trying to work secretly with the police and that’s what’s behind all this. Nothing could be further from the truth,” Greenberg said. “We really, honestly want to see the children and we want to know that they’re OK and we want to know that they’re seeing a counselor.”