前美国交通部长布蒂吉格因虚假举报被迫与子女分离24小时Pete Buttigieg Separated From Children for 24 Hours After False Report

前美国交通部长皮特·布蒂吉格（Pete Buttigieg）与丈夫查斯滕（Chasten）以及他们于2021年领养的四岁双胞胎子女居住在密歇根州特拉弗斯城。近日，一名警察和一名儿童保护服务机构（CPS）工作人员突然造访布蒂吉格的住宅，打破了这一家庭的平静。执法人员告知布蒂吉格，有人针对他提交了一份匿名举报，声称他的双胞胎孩子正处于危险之中。这一突如其来的指控让布蒂吉格感到极度困惑和不安。

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who lives in Traverse City, Michigan, with his husband Chasten and their four-year-old twins adopted in 2021, experienced a sudden family crisis when authorities arrived at his home. A police officer and a Child Protective Services (CPS) worker visited the residence to notify Buttigieg of an anonymous report alleging that his children were in danger. The unexpected visit left Buttigieg bewildered and deeply troubled as he tried to comprehend the nature of the sudden investigation.

面对这一指控，布蒂吉格虽然努力保持冷静，但随后被告知在接受正式面谈之前，他不得与孩子们单独相处。为了配合调查并保护孩子，布蒂吉格和丈夫不得不将双胞胎送往附近的祖父母家过夜，从而导致了长达24小时的家庭分离。在这段充满困惑和焦虑的时间里，这对夫妇无法得知具体的指控内容，只能在极度煎熬中等待调查结果。

Although Buttigieg attempted to remain calm, the situation escalated when the CPS worker informed him that he was prohibited from being left alone with his children until a formal interview could be conducted the following day. To comply with the directive, the couple agreed to send their twins to stay overnight at their grandparents' home. This measure initiated a distressing 24-hour separation, during which Buttigieg and his husband were kept entirely in the dark regarding the specific allegations leveled against them.

根据皮特·布蒂吉格在Substack上发布的内容，这起事件源于一名匿名举报人向儿童保护服务机构（CPS）提交的报告。该举报人声称，自己几年前在阿拉巴马州举行的一场会议上与布蒂吉格相识。此人随后对布蒂吉格提出了极其严重的指控，声称其犯下了“难以言表的暴力罪行”，并坚称布蒂吉格的四岁双胞胎子女目前正处于危险之中。

According to Pete Buttigieg's post on Substack, the crisis was initiated by an anonymous caller who contacted Child Protective Services (CPS). The caller claimed to have met the former Transportation Secretary several years ago at a conference in Alabama. Based on this alleged meeting, the individual accused Buttigieg of committing "unspeakable violent crimes" and asserted that his four-year-old twin children were currently at risk in his care.

在接到这一匿名举报后，儿童保护服务机构的工作人员和警方立即采取了紧急处置措施。工作人员明确告知布蒂吉格，在次日接受正式面谈之前，他绝对不能与孩子们单独相处。为了遵守这一强制性规定，调查人员甚至询问布蒂吉格在附近是否有亲戚，或者他当晚是否可以前往酒店住宿。最终，布蒂吉格和丈夫查斯滕决定将孩子们送往祖父母家，以配合执法部门和儿童福利机构的初步调查。

Upon receiving the report, the responding CPS worker and police officer immediately implemented strict protective measures. The CPS worker informed Buttigieg that he was prohibited from being left alone with his children until a formal interview could be conducted the following day. To resolve the immediate living situation, officials asked Buttigieg if he had local relatives or if he could stay at a hotel for the night. Ultimately, the family complied with the directive by sending the twins to stay with their grandparents while the investigation proceeded.

在双胞胎孩子被送往祖父母家过夜后，两名四岁的孩子于次日早晨接受了独立的司法面谈。根据相关规定，在进行此类司法面谈时，任何家庭成员均不得在场，以确保面谈过程的独立性与客观性。与此同时，作为调查程序的一部分，皮特·布蒂吉格本人也接受了执法人员与儿童福利机构的正式面谈，就匿名举报中提及的内容配合调查。

Following their overnight stay with their grandparents, the four-year-old twins underwent separate forensic interviews the next morning. To ensure the integrity of the investigation, no family members were permitted to be present during these forensic sessions. As part of the standard investigative process, Pete Buttigieg was also formally interviewed by the responding authorities regarding the anonymous allegations that had been leveled against him.

在对孩子们进行司法面谈以及对布蒂吉格本人完成询问后，密歇根州警方与儿童保护服务机构（CPS）对相关指控进行了全面核实。密歇根州警方随后发表声明证实，经过联合调查，执法部门和儿童福利机构确定该匿名举报完全是虚假的，没有任何证据支持举报人所声称的暴力罪行或安全风险，从而正式澄清了这一针对布蒂吉格的指控。

After conducting the forensic interviews with the children and questioning Buttigieg, the Michigan State Police and Child Protective Services (CPS) thoroughly evaluated the claims. The Michigan State Police subsequently confirmed in a statement that they had investigated the anonymous report and determined it to be entirely false, officially clearing the former Transportation Secretary of any wrongdoing and concluding that his children were never at risk.

在经历这场风波后，皮特·布蒂吉格在Substack上撰文表达了内心的痛苦。他写道，在孩子们返回前的24小时是他人生中最黑暗的时刻之一。在这段令人极度痛苦的时间里，他和丈夫完全不知道自己究竟因何受到指控，也无法预料接下来会发生什么。布蒂吉格对这种滥用公共服务系统的行为表示强烈不解与谴责，认为举报人利用荒谬且极易被推翻的恐怖罪行指控，来达到伤害他及其家人的目的。他同时提到，自己认为这起虚假指控可能带有政治动机。

Reflecting on the ordeal in a Substack post, Pete Buttigieg expressed the deep emotional toll the incident took on his family, describing the 24 hours before his children returned as "among the darkest hours of my life." He shared that for those deeply distressing hours, he and his husband Chasten had no idea what specific crimes he was being accused of or what would happen next. Buttigieg expressed bewilderment that someone would abuse the child welfare system to inflict harm on his family with an absurd and easily refuted allegation of a horrific crime. He also noted that he believed the false claim was politically motivated.

密歇根州警方发言人沙农·班纳（Shanon Banner）在一份声明中对这起虚假举报行为进行了强烈谴责。班纳指出，此类虚假报告不仅非常危险，而且严重分散了执法人员和儿童保护服务机构工作人员的精力，使他们无法及时应对真实的紧急情况，也无法有效保护那些真正处于危险之中的脆弱儿童和家庭。警方重申，该匿名举报经调查已确定完全不实。

Michigan State Police spokesperson Shanon Banner strongly condemned the fabrication in a statement, emphasizing the broader danger of such actions. Banner stated that false reports are dangerous and divert law enforcement officers and Child Protective Services workers from responding to legitimate emergencies and protecting vulnerable children and families. The state police reiterated that their joint investigation with child welfare authorities had successfully determined the anonymous report to be entirely false.