Opinion ID: 2424396
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The State Arrests and Charges Fritzinger.

Text: After hearing these reports, the social worker informed her supervisor, and DFS investigators took over the case. On October 10, 2008, DFS contacted the Delaware State Police regarding Mary's and Tina's allegations. On October 14, 2008, a representative from the Children's Advocacy Center interviewed both sisters. Both girls repeated their claims of Fritzinger's sexual abuse during these interviews. On October 15, 2008, the police arrested Fritzinger. In November 2008, both sisters returned to counseling with the Child Well Being Initiative, where they repeated their allegations. The sisters claim that Fritzinger's sexual abuse included vaginal, oral, and anal sex, and sexual touching. They claim that the abuse happened regularly, beginning when they all lived in Leon's house, and lasting until after the sisters had moved into the Wests' foster home. Mary claims that one time Fritzinger abused Tina while Mary watched from her bed. She also asserts that the sisters discussed the ongoing abuse only one time. Ultimately, the State charged Fritzinger with twenty-six counts of sexual misconduct, including various degrees of continuous sexual abuse of a child, unlawful sexual contact, and rape. Since his arrest, Fritzinger has asserted his innocence of all charges and has denied that any of the alleged conduct ever happened. As part of his defense, he claims that Mary and Tina concocted the allegations as an attempt to remove their half sister Beth from his custody, thereby assuring that Beth could live with them.