GALLATIN CO.—The chief of police of little Creal Springs in Williamson County has been charged with multiple counts in his home county of Gallatin.
And while many of his friends and family decry the allegations against Nick Rider, 31, of Equality, by calling them fabricated by his babymomma, most of them probably haven’t viewed the evidence: massive amounts of text messages, in which he comes across as brutal, threatening, controlling and vicious.
OP filed
While it appears problems have been brewing for quite some time prior to February, 2013, it was on the 20th of that month that Lindsey Karns, mother of Rider’s year-old daughter Bailey, filed for an Order of Protection against the man.
In the petition, she cited that on Feb. 16, she was out of town and “got a call stating that Nick had come and barged into my mom’s house and took Bailey. He continued then by calling and texting me while the baby was on the phone he told her that ‘Your mommy don’t love you anymore your mommy don’t want you anymore’ and was making her cry. I had to leave to go straight to her, when I got there he refused to let me leave the room with her, he stole my phone from me. Was chest bumping me with the baby in my arms. I ended up getting pushed and my stuff thrown out. The cops were called.”
Then on March 27, she added, she “got the kids up for school and it woke him up. He got mad and told me and my 10-year-old daughter that he wished her dad would have hit me a (little) harder so I would have miscarried that stupid lil bitch!!
“He is constantly telling me no wonder your ex use to hit you you deserved it. He is constantly telling me he hates me and wishes I would die, that I better watch my back cause he will make me disappear and he won’t have to worry about me getting in the way of him and Bailey. He’s told me several times he will buy a judge off if he has to.
He has told my older daughter on several occasions that she is a no good for nothing piece of shit that will never amount to anything.”
Backed up by texts
While people can make any allegations they want in an OP, Karns supplied evidence to back up what she was saying, via screenshots of cell phone text conversations she was having with Rider on the days in question.
And while Rider lawyered up with Tammi Jackson, who works in Harrisburg attorney Robert Wilson’s office, asking that the OP be dismissed—and stating that it was a mere attempt to effect custody and visitation issues, not for actual ‘protection’ over any incident—and that Rider’s “good name” was being impacted by the OP, it appears, by the evidence submitted, that Rider was doing fine on his own destroying whatever “good name” he might have had up to that point.
“F*^k u can’t wait to c u n court I would pay for baby setter part of the time when I can’t watch here but u start let me get by on my own or ill actblike this till I do” Rider (whose texts are largely grammatically, construct-wise and spelling-challenged but in context, understandable) wrote in a text on Feb. 3. “I think u have went back to ur old ways. And that why u dont want me know anything. I think u have already to my daughter around ur men hell i know u have. I am going for solo custody u can have supervised visitation like u make me do now U got 1 week to give me a dna orbit will be court ordered,” he wrote across Feb. 7-8, then “I guess it will be court ordered.”
“Just Stop this!!!!” Karns wrote in response. “All I’ve ever wanted 2 do was get along and u can’t do that…”
“Then let me have my daughter by her self live on ridgway and we will,” Rider responded, this on Feb. 8.
Subsequent texts show that on that same day and in that same sequence (around 9:30 in the morning), Rider was harassing Karns over the fact that she couldn’t talk to him on her phone (“Where r u that u cant talk”); Karns responded that she was at work.
Stronger allegations
On Feb. 14, Rider claims he was “trying to be civil” and Karns replied “Really u call holding me in ur house until I give, sum civil!!!!!”
No further elaboration was given for that instance; however, Rider signaled his intent as regards Karns previous claims that he took the baby from her mother’s care when he wrote, on Feb. 16 at 7:15 p.m., “Y u no answer. Headed to ur moms. I am headed to pick by up since u don’t want her. Have fun on ur double date ill have bay.”
An hour later, apparently after he took the baby from her grandmother, Rider wrote “Glad ur to good to talk to ur daughter. She wants to talk to mommy but mom wont answer have fun n metroplis. Fine we are leave n. If u don’t trust me we can go stay with a friend. ”
Ultimately at 9:01 p.m. Karns, who had apparently already had a preplanned night so likely wasn’t looking at her messages, replied “U better not take anywhere!!!!!!!!!”
At 9:37 p.m., he began sending photos of an obviously sleepy and possibly crying baby with messages “she is ask 4 u still.”
He then began a series of cruel messages between 9:39 and 10:17 p.m.: “U went to stlouis and now I have my daughter. Was gonna tell u where we at but. U wont answer. So u don’t need to know. She is ask where mommy at so I told her. She is asking where is mommy where is mommy where mommy. Good job she is cry n for u. And ur skip n church. Again real Christian are n t u u make me laugh it is all a act. Glad ur ignore n her.”
At 10:18 Karns finally responded “Im not ignoring my daughter!!!!!!!”
“Yeah hope. Ur have f un make n bay cry for u,” Rider wrote in response at 10:22.
Paranoid, control crazed freak
On Feb. 17, the two got into a text conversation about friends Karns was hanging out with, as well as who was calling who “stupid,” with Karns finally writing in an outburst, “I means ur pretty freak n stupid!!!!!! Cause ur a paranoid control crazed freak!!!!!! Cause I garrent there ain’t nothin goin on between any of us!!! I’ve known her 4 as long as I can remember and him sense I was 15!!!!
Within an hour of that text (at 1:30 in the morning), he wrote “Answer ur phone u have my daughter that u just kidnapped. U took my daughter in freeze n temps mother of the yr.”
He then apparently put Karns’, and her kids’ belongings outside the house, as she iterated in her OP request, stating at 1:36 a.m., “Come back and get all there books they are out side.” At 1:38: “Ok tell the kids they will be going to eldorDo (Eldorado—ed.) monday.” At 1:41: “Answer I will pick her up again and spend time with her.” At 2:10: “Look i really despite u but u can at least ler me know she is ok.”
Several hours later, at 8:57 a.m., Rider grew even more menacing in his texts.
“Come and get your cat or I’m going to have it put down,” he texted Karns. Then at 9:33 and continuing in a series every so many minutes: “You need to call me and let me know my daughters alright I don’t know if you guys made it safely or not so I guess I will file a missing persons report on Bailey since you will not answer any of not been to your moms. I am assuming you are back to your girlfriend and your boyfriends house. Ur not provide n bay a proper place ur bounce n from house to house again. Ue bible is out side with all ur stuff dogs are mess ing with stuff come and ger it.”
More threats
At 4:14 that afternoon, Rider grew even more insistent, pulling out all the stops:
“Or r u still be brain warship by ur friends,” Rider wrote at 3:57 p.m.
“I’m not try n 2 keep Bay from u…” Karns wrote at 4 p.m., “But I’m not put n up with ur bull crap anymore either…”
“I dont care if ur f andy or who ever i just want my daughter and I cant believe u left her with him the other day u better hope he has not touched her inappropriate ways,” Rider wrote in response. At 4:14. Then at 4:31: “I am u pull the crap bring n scott sauls out there 2 day that was b.s. all i want is to have time with my daughter.”
On Feb. 18, he wrote “Dont force me to file the paper work” at 4:09 p.m. “Who is put n shit in ur head u y do n this. I am done with u i really just want bay don’t take her dad away from her I want to be there 4 her. Y u do n this to me and her are try n to destroy are daddy daughter relationship. Listen I wont come and take her if u go back to ur moms i just want to stop and see her i am not ask n for much i just like know n she is safe.”
Which all sounded reasonable until he began spewing the next morning (Feb. 19, beginning at 9:01 a.m.), “U gonna let me see my daughter. Or are u going to try to screw her head up like ur other kids. U can let me see her or I can catch u leaven her at ur gf and bf house and i take cop and get her but this time i wont give her back. I will do what the law allows i didnt want to f u over but i have know choice u shouldnt of done it to me.”
Harassment continues
On Feb. 19, the harassment by text began again, with Rider texting at 9:24 a.m., ‘Oh ill have a friend bag ur stuff up since u wanna play like this.”
“U better not let ur girl friend touch my stuff!!…” Karns texted in response.
“Where is my daughter let me see her today and I leave it alone,” he tried to bargain, continuing with texts every so many minutes: “Well if u don’t let me see her I will get her again from ur friends and i wont give her back i have baby sitter lined up to keep her while i work. So stop play n with me and let me see my daughter. I attorney is going to eat u alive for this stunt patrich will be able to get his kids after i got mine. Since u took my daughter to there house her drug pass is coming up n court and all the time her kids have had scbies and lice. I am going broughtin to get bay.”
Whether he did or not remains unknown, but he texted the next day (Feb. 20), “Ur denying my access to my daughter for over 4 days. Bailey will hate u as she gets older forcwhat ur doing. Answer ur damn phone.” He continued sending texts along those lines, about Karns not answering her phone, ultimately telling her at 10:11 a.m. Feb. 21, “U will get whats come n to u u have a lot of people mad about what ur do n to me there are a lot of pissed off mothers who want to get u.”
Still a cop, despite OP, charges
Armed with these texts—albeit most of them one-sided, without Karns’ responses to many of Rider’s—Karns was able to secure an emergency order of protection on the day she filed it, Feb. 20.
On Feb. 26, the Illinois State Police submitted notification to Rider that his FOID card had been revoked and must be returned immediately to them.
On March 11, Jackson, in Wilson’s office, filed a Motion to Dismiss the OP. Also filed was a petition to determine parentage and establish custody and visitation, since none had been established prior to the OP being filed.
However, on March 21, after reviewing the police complaints Karns filed against Rider, Gallatin County state’s attorney Allen Roe filed two counts against him, the first, Unlawful Restrain, a Class 4 felony that alleges Rider “detained Karns in the residence at 15905 Pool Road, Equality, and refused to allow her to leave said residence by blocking the doorway with his body, doing so in the presence of a child.”
The second count is of Domestic Battery, a Class A misdemeanor, alleging that Rider struck Karns in the chest with his chest. Both incidents were pointed out in charges as occurring on Feb. 17.
Rider turned himself in on March 21 and Norbert Rider, of the same Pool Road, Equality, address, posted bond that day ($1,000).
Rider, as of press time, was still employed by the village of Creal Springs as their police chief. According to law enforcement sources who know him, the loss of his ability to carry a weapon won’t impact his performance there, as he’s said to not do much anyway.
Disclosure learned on deadline (Apr. 14) that Rider was telling people his charges were to be dismissed at an Apr. 15 court date; be watching for details of the veracity of that.