This chapter is going to be quick since the subject of her on trial is always a touchy one. I want to make it clear that charges are against just Rusty and her father. Her boyfriend (or is he her husband, I don't know nor do I care), her siblings, and her mother have nothing to do with this. In fact, we got along with her mother quite well. At the time of the incidents, her mother wasn't with her so we planned to make it clear that only Rusty and her father are the ones to blame on this situation.

– Mike Kinderheart, February 2nd, 2007 (12:37 PM Pacific Time)

I had an enjoyable Christmas and New Years with my sisters. Now, January 4th rolled around. It was time to go to court for the charges we pressed against Rusty and her father. We proceeded into the courthouse and in a moment of humor, the metal detector went off as I passed through it. The guard said to me, "It's probably your crutches. I'm going to perform a pat-down search."

I replied, "Go on ahead. I know that I have nothing to hide. If you need to, feel free to use a portable metal detector."

I was pat-down and, as expected, the only reason the detector went off was my crutches. We proceeded to the courtroom with our lawyer, Mr. Anthony Hawk. The four of us figured that this should be a quick process, especially since even the Renton police officer stationed at the transit center the day the first incident, in a written statement, says that we did the right thing by being polite and politely asking her to catch another bus.

The trial started and both of them entered a plea of "No Contest." According to Mr. Hawk, this means that, while they don't admit what they did was wrong, they do tell the judge that there's enough evidence to prove, beyond any reasonable doubt, that they are guilty.

Eventually, after the jury deliberated, they found both defendants guilty as charged on all counts. We were overjoyed. We were awarded damages (although we never did seek any, all we wanted was for her to leave us alone) and a restraining order. They were ordered to stay out of King County and Pierce County. As we learned, they made plans (on the Judge's orders) to head back to the east coast. The good news was that we never heard from them, nor did we see them, ever again.