Thread by @KGETnews

Starting a new thread. The boy says he's worried about both Orrin and Orson. He say he wants them to return to play with him. #WestsTrial

The boy says the Wests' biological children talked about where Orrin and Orson went but he doesn't know where they went. #WestsTrial

Barton leaves for a minute then returns and resumes questioning. Asked who moved from Bakersfield to Cal City, the boy names his other brothers but not Orrin and Orson. #WestsTrial

The video has ended. Smith is now going to play an interview Barton had with one of the Wests' biological children. #WestsTrial

The boy is 7. #WestsTrial

He says he went to his grandmother Wanda's house over the weekend for vacation. #WestsTrial

Barton asks why he's here to talk with her. He says he doesn't know, he's just there. #WestsTrial

"Where did Orrin and Orson go?" Barton asks.
"They went to their own home because they cried a lot," the boy says. He says his parents told him that. #WestsTrial

Asked again, the boy confirms the boys never went to California City. #WestsTrial

The boy says his dad spanked Orrin and Orson, all of the children. Asked if the spankings left marks, the boy says no, but they would bleed. #WestsTrial

The boy says the metal part of a belt his dad used would make them bleed. #WestsTrial

The boy says his father spanked them to make them be quiet. Orrin and Orson also bled from spanking, he says. He says his dad would tell them to shut up. The video ends. #WestsTrial

Smith ended his questioning. #WestsTrial

Alekxia Torres Stallings, lead attorney for Jacqueline West, has begun cross-examination. #WestsTrial

Torres Stallings is asking about investigations and how CPS conducts them, how the process works. #WestsTrial

Barton said they'll make a referral, and if it's a criminal matter they're work with law enforcement. #WestsTrial

Torres Stallings asked if CPS relies on law enforcement to give them the details of the investigation. Barton said yes because they're the lead on forensic interviews. #WestsTrial

Barton agreed general neglect falls under a wide variety of circumstances. #WestsTrial

Torres Stallings said she wants to talk about the history of forensic interviews. She asked about the McMartin case, and Barton said she's not familiar with it. She also said she wasn't familiar with another case referenced by the attorney. #WestsTrial

Barton testified the FBI requested the first initial interviews with the children because of the circumstances, believing young children were missing. #WestsTrial

Bakersfield Police Department was not involved at that time, Barton said. #WestsTrial

The FBI watched from another room as she conducted interviews with the children, Barton said. The other children sat in a room with coloring books and other activities for them. Those children couldn't hear what the child being interviewed said. #WestsTrial

Grandmother Wanda West was in the lobby with the children as they were brought back one by one to be interviewed. #WestsTrial

Parents and guardians aren't allowed to sit in during interviews regarding a criminal investigation, Barton said. #WestsTrial

It turned into a criminal matter after the children were interviewed, Barton said. She said the interviews from Dec. 22, 2020, provided enough for the FBI to pass the case to the Bakersfield Police Department. #WestsTrial

Asked if it's important to have no emotional tone when conducting interviews, Barton said no. She said you need to establish a rapport with the child. But she agreed it's important to remain objective. #WestsTrial

Even if a forensic interviewer believes the parents are guilty of something, that belief shouldn't be disclosed during the interview, she said. #WestsTrial

Barton said she doesn't have training or follow up on studies about suggestibility in children. #WestsTrial

Torres Stallings is asking about Barton's training on child abduction, human trafficking. #WestsTrial

Court is in recess for 15 minutes. #WestsTrial

Court is back in session with Sunya Barton still on the stand. She's testifying about "the corridor," where female teen victims are trafficking for prostitution. It goes from Kern County to Los Angeles to San Diego, Las Vegas. #WestsTrial

Torres Stallings asked if human trafficking goes to Texas. Yes, Barton said. #WestsTrial

Barton said her time frame in questioning the boys focused on August and September of 2020. #WestsTrial

Barton said she was not aware law enforcement had interviewed the children hours before her first interview. She did not view any videos taken of those interviews. #WestsTrial

Torres Stallings asked if it's standard for her to tell children she doesn't know what's happening with their family. Barton said yes, it's standard to let them know she doesn't know exactly what's happened in their family. #WestsTrial

Judge Charles R. Brehmer has called a sidebar after an objection from Smith. #WestsTrial

They're back, and Torres Stallings is referring to a transcript of the interview Barton conducted with one of the children. #WestsTrial

During the interview, Torres Stallings says, the Wests' eldest son talked with Barton about Orrin and Orson's biological family. She directed Barton to a passage of the transcript. #WestsTrial

Barton said it's correct the boy said he had seen the biological family before. Then she moved on to another topic. But Torres Stallings said the boy brought the biological family up again in his 3rd interview with Barton. #WestsTrial

Smith objected on the grounds of relevance based on the sidebar they just had. The judge is looking at the transcript. #WestsTrial

Judge Brehmer said he'll allow Barton to read the portion indicated by Torres Stallings, then see what the next question is. #WestsTrial

After multiple objections to Torres Stallings' questions, the judge has called another sidebar. #WestsTrial

The judge and attorneys have returned. #WestsTrial

Barton said she didn't change the subject regarding the passage Torres Stallings had her read. She said the child had finished his statement. #WestsTrial

Torres Stallings is asking about the allegations one of the children made about spanking. Barton said she watched the video with the rest of the room. She said the child never said when the spanking occurred. #WestsTrial

Barton said children undergo a physical evaluation when they enter the Jamison Center. The Wests' children were placed in protective custody and taken to the Jamison Center, Barton said. She said she would assume an evaluation was conducted. #WestsTrial

Barton said she has testified 5 times in her career. Torres Stallings asked her to wait until she has finished asking a question before responding. Barton said okay. #WestsTrial

After the forensic interview, she had nothing else to do with the investigation, Barton said. She doesn't know if marks were found on the boys' bodies. #WestsTrial

That's not her part of the investigation, Barton said when Torres Stallings asked if she followed up to see if marks had been found on the boys. #WestsTrial

Barton testified there are certain protocols to follow when conducting a forensic interview. #WestsTrial

Barton said she is not licensed as a social worker through the state, and never has been. #WestsTrial

Barton said she doesn't know if state protocols differ from the protocols required under Child Protective Services. #WestsTrial

Interview tactics differ depending on the case. Barton said this was the first missing persons forensic interview she had conducted in her 11 years with the department. #WestsTrial

Torres Stallings has moved on to the second interview Barton conducted with the Wests' eldest biological son. #WestsTrial

This forensic interview came up because the child, placed with a resource family, had seen news feeds regarding his parents and had questions, Barton said. #WestsTrial

The resource parent informed a social worker, who Barton assumes told law enforcement and a follow-up interview was requested. #WestsTrial

Barton testified the resource parent was upset with what the boy had told her. #WestsTrial

The second interview occurred Dec. 28, 2020. Barton said she was probably aware of some other details that had come out about the case but can't recall specifics. #WestsTrial

Barton said she can't recall knowing the West vehicle had been forensically evaluated, but said she recalls someone saying there was no evidence. #WestsTrial

Barton said she has not reviewed text messages between herself and another social worker. She said she doesn't recall the other worker reminding her about the smell in the vehicle. #WestsTrial

Torres Stallings showed Barton a document, and Barton said it does not refresh her memory. #WestsTrial

Barton testified after her first interviews with all four children she believed the eldest child was not being truthful. She had that belief when she conducted the 2nd interview with the eldest child. #WestsTrial

Torres Stallings ended her questioning. On redirect, Barton said she felt like the eldest boy was not being truthful, didn't want to get parents in trouble. Her impression about 2nd interview was that he was more forthcoming about what he said happened in the home. #WestsTrial

On recross, Barton said, other than the interviews, she relied on info from law enforcement and the other social worker. #WestsTrial

Barton testified she was aware a dig had been completed at the Cal City home and no remains were found. Barton said yes. #WestsTrial

Torres Stallings asked the prior question. She followed up by asking if she was aware the home had been searched and no forensic evidence had been found.
"That's because the children weren't in the house," Barton said, drawing chuckles from some audience members. #WestsTrial

Barton has been excused and the trial will resume at 9 a.m. tomorrow. #WestsTrial