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Marina
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Postby Marina » Sun Nov 11, 2007 1:03 pm

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http://wtvm.com/Global/story.asp?S=7339585

Columbus

Judge Declares Mistrial in Couple's Child Abuse Case

Posted: Nov 9, 2007 08:46 PM EST



Muscogee County Superior Court Judge Doug Pullen declared a mistrial Friday in the case of a baby found with cocaine in its system.

The jury could not decide whether or not to convict 19- year old Amber Baxley and 26- year old Jeremiah Linder on charges of 2nd degree cruelty to children.

David Helmick in the District Attorney's Office says he plans to bring the two defendents back to trial as soon as possible.

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Marina
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Postby Marina » Sun Nov 11, 2007 1:24 pm

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http://www.argusobserver.com/articles/2 ... 375229.txt

Oregon parents indicted in son’s injury at skateboard park



Sunday, November 11, 2007 12:47 AM PST


MEDFORD (AP) — A couple whose 6-year-old son fractured his skull after his father dropped him off at a skateboard park have been indicted on felony criminal mistreatment charges. Daniel R. Willis, 44, and June A. Willis, 49, also were charged with child neglect, a misdemeanor, in the October incident. Daniel Willis said he and his wife were stunned and frustrated by the charges. He said they had no idea it was illegal to leave the boy and his 9-year-old brother s alone at Bear Creek Skate Park.

‘‘I don’t think I’m guilty of a crime,’’ he said. ‘‘I may have made an error in judgment.’’ In addition to facing criminal charges, Willis said state Child Protective Services workers told him he could not be alone with his sons. ‘‘It’s shaken us up pretty good,’’ he said. Willis said he works in real estate, and his wife is employed part time at a community college. When both parents are busy with work, they often leave the boys alone at the skate park for a few hours. Oregon law does not set a minimum age for leaving children unsupervised.

But if children are younger than 10, prosecutors have discretion to decide whether leaving them alone is criminal conduct.

William Aring Meyer, a former prosecutor who has defended parents accused of neglect, said standards of caring for children are constantly evolving.

‘‘What was acceptable 10 years ago is not acceptable now,’’ Meyer said. ‘‘I think it makes it hard to know sometimes what is acceptable and what’s not acceptable.’’

The Jackson County grand jury indictment was released Friday by District Attorney Mark D. Huddleston. The couple are scheduled for arraignment Wednesday.


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Marina
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Postby Marina » Tue Nov 13, 2007 5:01 pm

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http://www.sheboygan-press.com/apps/pbc ... /711130581


Posted November 13, 2007

Man charged with felony child abuse


A 43-year-old Sheboygan Falls man was charged Monday with felony child abuse for allegedly wrestling with his 16-year-old son during an argument.


Michael J. Horzen, of 120 York St., faces up to three years in prison if convicted of the felony offense.


According to a criminal complaint:


A witness overheard Horzen arguing loudly with the boy and then asking him, "You wanna go?" A crashing sound was then followed by the teen's complaints that he couldn't breathe.


The witness saw Horzen laying on top of the boy holding him in a headlock. When told again that the teen couldn't breathe, Horzen said, "Good."


The complaint also alleged Horzen hit a 17-year-old stepson in the back of the head, but no charges were filed to that effect.


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Marina
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Postby Marina » Tue Nov 13, 2007 5:03 pm

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http://www.azfamily.com/news/local/stor ... 85b45.html

Mesa father arrested for alleged child abuse

10:37 PM Mountain Standard Time on Monday, November 12, 2007

By The Associated Press

MESA, Ariz. (AP) -- Mesa police say they've arrested a father on suspicion of child abuse.

The investigation began October 18th, when officers responded to a local hospital to investigate suspicious injuries to a 6-month-old child.



Father arrested, child under grandmother's care Mesa police say the investigation revealed the baby had multiple fractured ribs in various stages of healing, a fractured skull and a broken clavicle that appeared to have already healed.

The parents originally took the baby to the hospital because his lower extremities were not functioning.

Detectives say doctors quickly discovered the injuries and immediately contacted police.

The father is identified as Oslando Ochoa-Quintero.

He was booked on five counts of Child Abuse.

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Marina
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Postby Marina » Thu Nov 15, 2007 6:08 pm

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http://www.queenscourier.com/articles/2 ... news06.txt

Girl who saw her dad killed to remain in foster care


BY ALEX LANG

Thursday, November 15, 2007 10:12 AM CST




Police released this sketch of the man they believe killed Daniel Malakov in front of four-year-old Michelle on October 28.
The four-year-old girl who saw her father shot to death in a Forest Hills park will remain in foster care until charges of neglect against her mother are settled, a Queens Family Court judge ruled on November 9.

Michelle Malakov was with her father, Daniel Malakov, 34, in the Annadale Playground on Sunday, October 28 when he was shot three times in the chest. He had won custody of the girl from her mother, Mazoltuv Borukhova, just eight days earlier.

Malakov’s mother, Malka, has accused Borukhova of orchestrating the murder of the Ivy-League-educated dentist.

Following the incident, Michelle went to live with her father’s parents, but then was placed in foster care as her mother fought to regain custody.

The New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) filed a petition during the proceedings last week accusing Borukhova of neglect.

The judge ruled that Michelle undergo grief counseling and granted visitation rights to both Borukhova and Malakov’s parents.

Borukhova plans to appeal the family court’s decision.

Florence Bass, the lawyer representing Borukhova, did not return repeated phone calls seeking comment.

Last week police released a sketch of the person they believe to be the shooter. They describe the suspect as a white male, 48 to 53 years old, with gray hair, 5’ 8”, with a stocky build. At the time of the shooting he was wearing a dark jacket and dark pants. The NYPD is offering a $41,000 reward in the case.


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Marina
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Postby Marina » Fri Nov 16, 2007 8:46 pm

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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/ ... ?track=rss

3 children removed from feces-ridden home, mom arrested

Associated Press
10:58 AM EST, November 16, 2007


PORT ST. LUCIE -

Police say a Port St. Lucie mother is charged with child neglect after living with her three children in a filthy home.

A police report says officers found 25-year-old Jaileen Lorraine Soliman living with her children in a home where several pets were running loose. Police say there was trash and dirty clothing all over the house, with pet feces on the floor and furniture.

The report says the children -- ages 1, 7 and 10 -- were dirty and one of them had insect bites covering his body. The children are with a family member.




Soliman is being held at the St. Lucie County Jail on $7,500 bail. It's not immediately known if she has a lawyer.

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Marina
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Postby Marina » Sun Nov 18, 2007 10:10 pm

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http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?news ... 5106&rfi=6

Woman gets deferred judgment in baby's death

Sunshine Dalton, Staff writer
11/14/2007


A Council Bluffs woman was granted a deferred judgment in a Pottawattamie County courtroom Tuesday for two counts of child endangerment in the death of her 4-month-old child.



Mallory McCabe, 20, and David I. McCormick, 24, both of Council Bluffs, were charged following an investigation into the death of their child on Nov. 22, 2006.

An autopsy by the State Medical Examiner's Office in Ankeny determined the cause of death to be sudden infant death syndrome.

Investigators said the parents were charged as a result of their actions leading up to the child's death.

McCabe faced up to four years and a $10,000 fine for both charges.

Associate District Judge Mark J. Eveloff granted McCabe a deferred judgment, ordering her to complete at least 20 hours of community service over one year of unsupervised probation. She must also pay a $625 civil penalty.

Eveloff's ruling was based on the fact that McCabe has been cooperative with Department of Human Services and the second child has been returned to the home.

Scott Strait, McCabe's attorney, did not return phone calls requesting a comment.

McCormick is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 11 for the same case. He was charged with neglect of a dependant person, a Class C felony in Iowa.

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http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2 ... d=10082371

Published Thursday | July 19, 2007
Police charge Council Bluffs parents in infant's death
BY JENNIFER PALMER
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER



COUNCIL BLUFFS — Parents of a 4-month-old boy who died in November have been charged with child endangerment.

Investigators say the parents' drug use contributed to the death of Cameron McCormick on Nov. 22, 2006.

David McCormick, 24, and Mallory McCabe, 20, each tested positive for marijuana and methamphetamine after Cameron's death, according to an affidavit for their arrest.

Investigators say the couple smoked marijuana the night of Nov. 21; two hours later, they let Cameron sleep in the bed with them. During the night, McCormick rolled onto his son's chest, preventing the child from breathing, investigators allege.

Later that night, he took the boy downstairs and awoke the next morning to the sound of McCabe screaming because Cameron was not breathing.

When contacted by telephone, McCormick said Cameron died from sudden infant death syndrome. He said the boy had medical problems after being born nine weeks early.

He said he wasn't responsible for the boy's death and disputes the part of the report that says he rolled onto his son. He does, however, admit that doing drugs affected his ability to be a father.

McCormick and McCabe have another son who was 14 months old at the time. Investigators say the boy tested positive for methamphetamine. He has been in foster care since the incident.

McCormick said he and McCabe have been clean since Cameron's death, have been through a rehabilitation program and hope to regain custody of their other son, Gage McCabe.

"This has made me and Mallory better people," McCormick said.

Both were released from jail on their own recognizance and are expected in court next month.



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Marina
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Postby Marina » Thu Nov 22, 2007 3:53 pm

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http://www.times-standard.com/ci_751315 ... ost_viewed

Mom in hooky case may avoid charges

Chris Durant The Times-Standard
Article Launched: 11/20/2007 01:27:15 AM PST





A mother who was arrested last month after her children missed dozens of days of school may have neglect charges against her dropped if she follows a plan laid out by Social Services, attorneys said Monday.

Assistant District Attorney Wes Keat wrote in an e-mail that two neglect charges against Meghan Rachel Fleming, 27, will be dropped if she “adhered to the Social Services case plan regarding her children.”

Keat described the plan generally, saying it can require attendance in counseling or education programs.

”The general purpose is to eliminate those neglectful conditions which bring the children into the system,” Keat wrote.

Fleming's four children were placed in protective custody when police arrested her Oct. 24.

Two of the children are school age, 11 and 5, and had missed a combined 29 days out of total 43 schools days this year, up until Fleming's arrest. The two children were also more than one-half hour late on several other occasions.

A court date for May 2009 was set to see if Fleming has abided by the plan.


Chris Durant can be reached at 441-0506 or at [email protected] .


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Marina
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Postby Marina » Thu Nov 22, 2007 4:53 pm

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http://www.kxnet.com/getArticle.asp?s=r ... eId=183187

Garrison Woman Pleads Not Guilty to Child Endangerment Charges

Nov 21 2007 10:53PM
KXMCTV Minot

A Garrison woman accused of causing the death of her unborn child has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Michelle Geiser is charged with several charges for overdosing on prescription pain and muscle relaxant drugs while she was pregnant.

Geiser was seven months along at the time.

She pleaded not guilty today to child endangerment, possessing a controlled substance without a prescription and ingestion of a controlled substance.

McLean County States Attorney, Ladd Erickson, says a week after Geiser was charged with killing her unborn child she was also charged with four counts of prescription fraud for acquiring a controlled substance by deception.

She pleaded not guilty to those charges also.

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Postby Marina » Sun Nov 25, 2007 12:32 pm

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http://www.timesonline.com/articles/200 ... 563356.txt

WHITE TWP.

Father charged


Published: Wednesday, November 21, 2007 5:19 PM EST
A White Township man has been charged after his 9-month-old child was injured Oct. 13, township police reported.

Harry M. Deem, 18, of 10 Sunnyhill Drive was charged with recklessly endangering a person and endangering the welfare of a child, police said.

Township police said it’s unclear what happened Oct. 13. They do know that the baby stopped breathing while in Deem’s care and that he resuscitated the baby. The baby’s mother, whom police did not name, wasn’t home at the time.

After she arrived home, she took the baby to The Medical Center, Beaver.

The baby is now at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

Police are conducting their investigation with Beaver County Children and Youth Services, the Beaver County district attorney’s office and state police.

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Marina
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Postby Marina » Sun Nov 25, 2007 1:08 pm

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http://www.timesonline.com/articles/200 ... 455630.txt

BEAVER FALLS

Mother charged


Published: Saturday, November 24, 2007 1:56 AM EST

A Beaver Falls mother was charged this week because her 8-year-old daughter overdosed on prescription sleeping pills, city police reported.

Theresa Karczewski, 38, of 4508 Fifth Ave. was charged with endangering the welfare of a child and recklessly endangering another person, police said.

On Aug. 27, the girl woke up at 3 a.m. and couldn’t sleep, police said. She took one of Karczewski’s 30-milligram tablets of temazepam, but the police report didn’t say whether the mother was aware of this.

Karczewski tried to rouse her daughter by shaking and bathing her before calling for help. Police did not say when Karczewski tried to awaken the child. The girl was treated at The Medical Center, Beaver, and flown to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

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Marina
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Postby Marina » Tue Nov 27, 2007 12:55 pm

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http://suncoastpinellas.tbo.com/content ... rges/?news

Oldsmar Parents Face Child Neglect Charges



By JOSH POLTILOVE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 26, 2007

The 2-year-old child of a drunken Oldsmar couple was inside their running car, hysterically crying and trying to wake them, when a Largo Mall security guard spotted the family in the mall's parking lot Saturday night, Largo police said.

The guard banged on the car's window for 30 to 45 minutes, but got no response, Largo police Sgt. Mark Young said. Police, who were called about 9:20 p.m., had to remove the mother from the 1997 Ford Taurus to wake her.

"Neither had any memories of the last several hours," Young said. "Neither has any recollection of how they got to Largo Mall. The last thing they remembered was they were drinking on a boat somewhere. The mom thought it was Monday, not Saturday night."

Carlina Elizabeth Davis and Ryan Andrew Davis face one count each of child neglect without great bodily harm.

The couple, who also have a week-old child in a hospital's intensive care unit, remain in the Pinellas County Jail, Young said.

He said it's unclear whether the couple were drinking as a result of that child's condition.

Because Carlina Davis, 22, was behind the wheel when police found her, she also faces a count of driving under the influence. Because of her level of intoxication, she was taken to a nearby hospital for precautionary reasons before being booked into jail Sunday morning, Young said.

When police roused his wife Saturday, Ryan Davis, 23, began to wake up as well.

"At first he said, 'Come on, dude, leave her alone. She's tired,'" Young said. "Then, when he saw it was cops, he started cussing."

Ryan Davis also faces two counts of violating probation.

The couple's child was picked up by a family member, and the vehicle was impounded, police said.

Results are pending on Carlina Davis' blood-alcohol test, Young said. He said the couple also might have been under the influence of a legal prescription medication.

Ryan Davis is being held without bail; his wife's bail is set at $7,000.

Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at [email protected] or (813) 259-7691.

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Postby Marina » Wed Nov 28, 2007 6:48 pm

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http://www.1010wins.com/pages/1252012.p ... Id=1190371

Judge Rules Queens Girl Must Stay in Foster Care


NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- The parents of a Queens girl alleged to be physically and sexually abused while in foster care were denied custody in Queens Family Court on Monday.

1010 WINS AUDIO: Steve Sandberg Reports

A judge ruled that Vanessa James endangered her 6-year old daughter Amber by taking her to the doctor too often. The judge said she continually subjected the child to unnecessary medical intervention, which placed the child at imminent risk for harm.

"My daughter didn't lie when she said she wanted to come home. She's afraid," said James. "We have been accused of being good parents, of being concerned parents that's why ACS took our child."

The judge ruled she doubted the credibility of the parents testimony, calling it self-serving.

"I can't imagine a judge being so cruel to let this child suffer," said James.

The James' want their daughter back and insist they're not giving up.


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Postby Marina » Wed Nov 28, 2007 6:52 pm

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http://www.kansas.com/news/updates/story/238269.html

Posted on Mon, Nov. 26, 2007e-mail print RSS reprint

Mother charged with endangerment In girl's shooting

BY STAN FINGER
The Wichita Eagle

The mother of a 7-year-old girl who was shot earlier this month learned today that she has been charged with aggravated child endangerment in connection with the incident.

Aspen Jackson, 24, appeared in Sedgwick County District Court, where Judge Greg Waller informed her of the charge. Her boyfriend, 27-year-old Owen Nave, was charged with possession of a firearm by a felon. Their next court appearances are set for Dec. 10.

Jackson brought her daughter to Wesley Medical Center the night of Nov. 7, claiming she had been shot at Somerset Apartments, 2029 N. Woodlawn, by an unknown assailant as they were walking back from taking out the trash. But a police investigation discovered that the girl had been shot inside Nave's apartment and that her mother waited an hour before taking her to the hospital.

The child, who was shot in the chest with a 9 mm handgun, has since been released from the hospital. She, her 2-year-old brother and the couple's 3-month-old daughter have been placed in protective custody.

Nave was convicted of robbery in 2000. His bond was set at $10,000. Jackson's bond was set at $25,000.

Reach Stan Finger at 316-268-6437 or [email protected].

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Marina
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Postby Marina » Wed Nov 28, 2007 6:55 pm

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http://www.lasvegasnow.com/global/story.asp?s=7406868

Four Children Removed from Home

Updated: Nov 26, 2007 10:53 AM EST




Child Protective Services removed four children from a home after an infant died. Medical crews were called to try and help after the an 11-day-old baby stopped breathing.

While the child died from a medical condition, authorities who were in the home took four other children because they determined the home was in deplorable conditions.

Metro says the family is not facing any criminal charges is connection with the infants death, but it will be up to CPS to decide about neglect charges for the other four children.

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Marina
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Postby Marina » Wed Nov 28, 2007 7:00 pm

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http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... 1/71127009

VIRGINIA: Bus driver headed to jail for looking the other way during fight

Associated Press


VIRGINIA BEACH — A former school bus driver will serve 20 days in jail for not stopping a fight on her bus.

Twenty-four-year-old Lykesha Hines of Norfolk was found guilty in September of felony child neglect and faced as much as five years in prison. A judge on Monday reduced the charge to misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor and suspended a portion of the six-month sentence.

Prosecutors say Hines was warned at least twice that there was going to be a fight on her bus. On March 26th, four boys punched and kicked another 15-year-old boy. The boy suffered four chipped teeth and required three stitches.

Hines’ attorney asked the judge to reduce the sentence because Hines allowed the victim to get off the bus without further injury.


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Marina
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Postby Marina » Wed Nov 28, 2007 7:24 pm

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http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=84571&src=3

Lake Villa man pleads not guilty to child endangerment

By Tony Gordon | Daily Herald StaffContact writerPublished: 11/27/2007 12:04 AMSend To:


A Lake Villa man charged with a pair of misdemeanors after his 4-month-old son was attacked by a dog pleaded not guilty Monday in Lake County circuit court.

Robert Schultz, 25, of 810 Eaton Lane, faces up to a year in jail if convicted of child endangerment and domestic battery.

Police said Schultz brought the infant with him on Nov. 4 when he went to visit his girlfriend in Waukegan.

The infant was sleeping on a couch in the apartment and the two adults were sleeping in another room, police said, when the girlfriend's dachshund bit the child several times.

Schultz and the woman awoke to the child's screams and called for an ambulance.

The boy remains in stable condition in Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago. The dog is in the care of animal control officials.

State's attorney's officials said Schultz was charged with criminal offenses in the incident because he left the child unattended with the animal for an extended period of time.

Associate Judge David Brodsky ordered Schultz, who is free from custody on a signature bond, to appear in court again Jan. 7 for a pretrial conference.


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Marina
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Postby Marina » Wed Nov 28, 2007 7:53 pm

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http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.c ... 973&tref=y

Parents jailed in 2-month-old infant's '06 death

By MICHELLE WASHINGTON, The Virginian-Pilot
© November 28, 2007 | Last updated 10:42 PM Nov. 27



NORFOLK

The parents of a 2-month-old boy who died in March 2006 have been charged with child neglect.

The father, Anthony J. Huhn, also has been charged with malicious wounding, according to indictments filed in Norfolk Circuit Court on Nov. 7.

Huhn, 25, turned himself in at the Norfolk City Jail on Tuesday. His wife, 23-year-old Alisha Huhn, was in jail without bond.

The child neglect indictments say the Huhns caused or permitted serious injury to Ethan Huhn on March 26, 2006. The malicious wounding indictment against Anthony Huhn says he harmed his son with "intent to maim, disfigure, disable or kill."


The medical examiner's office said Ethan's cause of death was "sudden unexplained infant death." The term describes a death with no obvious cause, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Prosecutors sought the charges after extensive medical tests and a review of the autopsy, Commonwealth's Attorney's spokeswoman Amanda Howie said.

"The evidence we have supports that at this time," Howie said of the charges.

She declined to comment on the nature of the child's injuries.

Todd Langdon, Alisha Huhn's father, said Tuesday that he and his wife now have custody of the Huhns' other child, 3-year-old Ayanamae.

Langdon said he did not want his daughter or Anthony Huhn ever to have custody of the child again.


Michelle Washington, (757) 446-2287,

[email protected]

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Marina
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Postby Marina » Wed Nov 28, 2007 8:09 pm

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http://www.azfamily.com/news/local/stor ... ca775.html

Tatum pleads guilty to child abuse

08:27 PM Mountain Standard Time on Tuesday, November 27, 2007

By 3TV

MESA - A Valley mom will spend at least six months in prison after pleading guilty to child abuse.

Back in August, Tina Tatum was arrested after someone saw her beating her ten-year-old son inside a Mesa Walmart.

Last week, Tatum pleaded guilty to the charge and agreed to serve six months to a year.

Once released, she'll be under lifetime supervised probation.

Officially sentencing is set for December 21st.

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Marina
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Postby Marina » Wed Nov 28, 2007 8:16 pm

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http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs ... /711280396

Mother of child killed by pickup is charged

Illegal immigrant faces deportation to Mexico

By ALAN J. McCOMBS, The News Journal

Posted Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Maria Navarro-Luna

A woman who was struck by a pickup while trying to cross a highway with her children -- one of whom was killed in the June 9 accident -- faces child endangerment charges and possibly deportation after police learned she is an illegal immigrant from Mexico.

Maria Navarro-Luna, 31, was charged Tuesday with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Police say she was pushing a stroller carrying toddler Luzero Navarro-Luna and leading her 7-year-old daughter by the hand across U.S. 40 near its intersection with Salem Church Road, and crossed into the path of a 1993 Chevrolet 1500.

The impact left the 7-year-old in critical condition with broken legs and a broken neck, as well as injuries to her liver and kidneys. Maria Navarro-Luna also suffered multiple broken bones.

The baby died the next day.

Because a crosswalk was 230 feet from where they entered the roadway, Delaware State Police spokesman Cpl. Jeff Whitmarsh said, authorities decided to charge her.

Navarro-Luna told The News Journal in July that she had crossed U.S. 40 in the past without incident.

"The crosswalk was only a few meters away, but I had always crossed [where the accident happened] and been safe," she said in that interview.

Responsibility for the crash is something Navarro-Luna has been dealing with since it occurred, said Shannon Breedlove, a family friend.

"She blames herself. She tries to be strong," she said. "She's smiling and her spirit is strong but she has moments where she breaks down and thinks people are judging her."

An investigation into the June 9 incident revealed Navarro-Luna, a resident of the Bear area for the past two years, had come to the U.S. illegally after a previous failed attempt to cross the U.S. border, Whitmarsh said.

"Based on the circumstances surrounding her arrest for this case, in addition to her being here illegally and a prior attempt to enter here illegally, that information was presented to [the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service]," he said. "They are assessing the situation."

ICE does not comment on individual immigration proceedings due to privacy regulations, ICE spokesman Ernestine Fobbs said.

Breedlove said in a late morning conversation with Navarro-Luna that she was told she would be deported in the next 48 hours.

Diana Malero, another friend of Navarro-Luna, said she didn't understand why this was happening now.

"Why do they have to rush her? I don't understand the law," she said. "Its hard to accept the law would be that blind, that heartless."

When police arrested Navarro-Luna, she was allowed to contact family and friends to arrange care for her 2-year-old child who was with her, Whitmarsh said. Her 7-year-old child, who suffers short-term memory loss and is still recuperating from her injuries, was at school Tuesday.

Police notified the Mexican consulate about the move for deportation, Whitmarsh said.

Late Tuesday, relatives were taking care of the two children as Navarro-Luna waited at Baylor's Women's Correctional Center on $1,000 secured bail.

Contact Alan J. McCombs at 324-2866 or [email protected].


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Marina
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Postby Marina » Sun Dec 02, 2007 10:45 am

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http://news.ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=659914

Smoking in Cars with Kids May Be Banned

November 30th, 2007 @ 10:22am
by Dan Guerin/KTAR

Smoking with a minor child in a car would be considered child abuse under a proposal to be introduced in the Arizona Legislature in January.

State Rep. David Schapira, D-Tempe, wants to fine anyone who is smoking while driving a car with passengers younger than 18. He sponsored a similar measure in the last legislative session, but it went nowhere.

The bill is seen as a battle between private-property rights and the state's desire to protect children from secondhand smoke.

Schapira said kids are placed in danger when they end up breathing second-hand smoke.

``We already legislate things like child abuse," Schapira said, ``and to me, if you're in a vehicle, a small contained space with a child, and you're smoking -- especially in a place like Phoenix with the windows rolled up in the summertime, you might as well have a cigarette in that child's mouth. To me, that sounds like child abuse, textbook definition."

The punishment would be a $50 fine for each child in the car for a first offense. It would go up by $50 for a second offense.

Schapira believes his proposal has a good chance of getting passed next session.

A similar law goes into effect in California in January. It makes smoking with minors a secondary offense, which means police can enforce it only if they pull over a vehicle for another reason, like speeding. Violations carry fines of up to $100. Louisiana and Arkansas have similar laws.

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Postby Marina » Fri Dec 07, 2007 10:39 am

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http://www.thestarpress.com/apps/pbcs.d ... /712070351

Woman drinks in bar, ignores kid, police say

A Yorktown woman was preliminarily charged with child neglect, a Class D felony, this week after she allegedly left her teenager at the library while she drank at a bar.

The teenager tried to get her mother's attention by knocking on the window of The Mouse after leaving the Yorktown Mount Pleasant Township Community Library when it closed Tuesday night.



When the mother, identified as Jennifer N. Skeels, 36, 3100 W. Cornbread Road, did not respond, other patrons called police.

Town Marshall Todd St. John said the teenager waited in a car for more than a hour while her mother was inside the bar.
The teenager was released to the custody of family, and Skeels was released from jail after posting a $5,000 bond.



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Marina
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Postby Marina » Sat Dec 08, 2007 12:39 pm

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http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll ... 1/71207029

Suspect in Cape child-abuse case out on bond

By Rachel Myers
[email protected]
Originally posted on December 07, 2007



The Cape Coral man accused of attempting to suffocate a baby was released Thursday on bond.

According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Web site, James Fretwell, 33, of 1112 S.E. Fifth Avenue, was released on $30,000 bond.

Fretwell was arrested Tuesday on a single charge of child abuse that could result in physical or mental injury. The 10-month-old baby boy has recovered and was released from the hospital.

The child’s mother told police she was getting ready to leave with friends when she went to check on the child and found Fretwell, her boyfriend, with his hands over the child’s mouth. Fretwell told police he was checking to see if the child was breathing.

His next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 7.


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Marina
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Postby Marina » Mon Dec 10, 2007 10:45 am

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/family/story/ ... ed=society

Perceived neglect


One Thursday lunchtime, Lisa Bacon was visited by social services after an anonymous caller reported her for allowing her seven-year-old son to walk to school alone. Had she done wrong?

Saturday December 8, 2007
The Guardian


Thursday, 1pm, about to have lunch. Knock at the door. It's a woman from children's services come to investigate an anonymous report made about me to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC). Was it true, she asked, that I let my seven-year-old walk to and from school alone, that I left him home alone, and that I let my youngest child (three) play unsupervised in the road out front?



My appetite evaporated, as did any peace of mind, for the next few weeks. How is a parent supposed to react to allegations of neglect? I was, and am still, upset, even though I know the complaints are unjustified.
Seven weeks earlier, I had started letting my son (who's now eight) travel 1km each way to and from school alone. We live in a quiet residential area and almost the only cars on the road are those on the schoolrun. We discussed where was safe to cross and I followed behind as I have another school-age child, so I always knew my son got to school OK. After school we met before he headed off. He had a key to let himself in at home because he got so far ahead. Twice my younger child had been too ill to attend school, so I let my nearly eight-year-old son go to school without me following behind.

He loved the independence. He whizzed off on his scooter - he was never late to school any more. He whizzed home to use the toilet, have a snack, start his homework. He didn't argue with, or have to wait about for, dawdling and temperamental siblings.

On a few occasions, he left the house to come back up the road to chat with us coming home. I expressed considerable praise the first time - because he remembered to lock the door behind him, and I hadn't talked about that previously. Suddenly, my son felt a tangible link between privilege and responsibility. He's been keen since to show himself as responsible in other ways.

There were hiccups; once I left my son playing just inside the school gate, expecting him to follow soon after. Instead he got into a fight, and after that I always waited for him to go out of the gates before I headed home. Once he had a lift home from another well-meaning parent. It was a good opportunity to reiterate that he mustn't take lifts home from school, even from people we know.

Also, since his seventh birthday, on a handful of occasions, I had left him alone at home so I could do the school run. Typically for about 25 minutes, always because he was ill or recovering from illness and it seemed cruel to get him dressed and drag him up to school and back for such a short period. Once he had a strop about not wanting to go to school. Exasperated, I left him alone to quickly take my other child up to the school; after I left, he changed his mind and followed behind.

In the two weeks preceding my visit from the council, I had twice left him at home alone briefly for less urgent reasons - dashing for a newspaper (12 minutes) or to take another child to swimming lessons (25 minutes). We had long and repeated chats about safety issues - what to do if there's smoke or fire, no cooking when home on his own, no helping anybody look for their lost puppy, no going into other people's houses on the way to school, always watch for cars, etc.

As for the claim that cars were having to brake suddenly to avoid hitting my littlest child in the road out front - I was flummoxed. "When?" I said. But there were no more details. My youngest has dashed into the road on occasions. I think I can remember waving thanks to drivers who had to slow down suddenly. Or maybe in the mornings, starting off to school when the children sometimes stood at the top of the drive (still off the road), waiting for me to lock the door - did drivers get worried then? The only awful incident was when a lady brought my toddler to the door to say he'd been out in the road alone. He had unexpectedly learned to undo latches on the side gate. We put an extra latch on the outside, where he couldn't reach. I thought we'd done enough. But now I found my competence as a parent being questioned.

Maybe I deserved to be told off for my (many) mistakes and misjudgments. But how many of us have made parenting decisions that we soon regretted or that other people didn't like? I might have expected some disapproval from others for my actions but I didn't expect anyone to report me for it.

The woman from children's services left without telling me to change anything I was doing. A week later, a letter came saying (only) that in the view of social services, my son was too young to leave home alone, even for short periods. He should be supervised at all times. I wrote back, to clarify whether "all times" applied to the school journey, too. And at what age would my son be, in the view of social services, old enough to leave unsupervised for specified periods? Up to half an hour, up to two hours? Without specific guidance from social services I don't see how I can avoid coming to their attention again. I still await their reply.

At a time when we are repeatedly warned that we should let children take more risks and have more freedom, it didn't seem so ridiculous to try giving my eight-year-old a little responsibility. I am not a self-confident person, and I've struggled ever since with parenting decisions - caught between my instincts and the fear of "What will someone else think?" My sleep is disturbed; it's hard to relax.

Maybe I should just drive all my children to and from school, instead. This would pollute the air, add to global warming, add to the risk of road accidents around the school, and contribute to the risk of my children becoming obese - but nobody would report me to the NSPCC about any of those things.

I'm not a fighter or a campaigner. If children's services tell me not to do something, I won't do it - the last thing I want is for them to keep their file open on me. If someone else says, "I wouldn't let my eight-year-old walk outside or stay at home alone," I have no opinion. Individuals should make up their own minds about what risks they find tolerable to expose themselves and their families to. That's not the same as declaring that everyone else should balance risks against possible benefits. Anyway, the decision has been taken away from my family; I don't feel we have the same choices as other parents in these matters any more. We have been disempowered by a single, anonymous phone call.

Maybe after a while we would have decided we weren't comfortable with our son being alone at home just yet, or going anywhere out of our line of sight. We were still figuring out the risk boundaries and right ways to manage the possible hazards for ourselves - but all that is curtailed now. I am left at a loss about when and how to start giving my son any freedoms again. It's all made more bewildering because I'm an outsider. Although I have lived in the UK for 16 years I was raised in the USA. Maybe I should put this experience down to yet another set of culture differences I will never quite understand.

I'm not naive, I know the world is full of dangers, more so for small children. Sarah Payne was snatched on a country lane like the one I live on. But the chances of my son getting kidnapped and harmed by a stranger are similar to the odds of being struck by lightning. I can't tell my child, "You getting zapped by lightning I can live with, but I don't trust you to be alone for 25 minutes."

Who was the anonymous caller, who obviously knows a lot about me and my family? Their actions mean that any support I might have found in informal chats with other parents is limited - it's not paranoia when you know someone is out to get you. Or at least, judges you severely, won't say it to your face but is all too willing to share notes with others. My children may be marginally safer than before, but I have become a worse person (angry) and a poorer parent (less confident). I am reluctant to volunteer again for the pre-school committee, the school PTA or as a classroom helper, or to seek a job that involves contact with children - in case background checks reveal that I was investigated and I have to explain.

Four years ago, we lived in a poor, immigrant neighbourhood in Loughborough. Around the corner in one direction were dodgy flats, with a reputation for drug-dealing and arson. Around another corner a busy high street, including two licensed sex shops and two unlicensed brothels. Summer days and evenings our road filled with children playing out, some as young as four. I was always the only supervising adult outside among the children. I shudder to think of the reception I would have had from Bangladeshi neighbours had I asked why they didn't come out to watch their offspring: "They watch out for each other," "But it's normal!".

The area I now live in has average social indicators (income, home ownership levels, etc). Most residents are stable working families or pensioners. It's a low-crime, low-traffic residential corner of a small, sleepy market town. But it's reckoned unsafe for a nearly eight-year-old to walk unescorted for five-15 minutes in broad daylight. Am I crazy to think some kind of madness is at work?

What do you think? Email your views to [email protected]

Lisa Bacon is a pseudonym

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Marina
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Postby Marina » Wed Dec 12, 2007 2:10 pm

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http://www.kwwl.com/News/index.php?ID=19043

Child Endangerment Trial Starts Tuesday


Trial for a Council Bluffs man facing two counts of child endangerment and neglect of a dependent person is slated for Tuesday. Authorities say 24-year-old David I. McCormick's charges stem from his actions prior to his infant son's death. Four-month-old Cameron McCormick died in November 2006. Autopsy results show the child died of sudden infant death syndrome.
A second child endangerment charge stems for another child in the home, officials say. The infant's mother, 20-year-old Mallory McCabe of Council Bluffs was also charged with child endangerment. She was ordered to serve community service over one year of unsupervised probation. McCormick's trial is set for Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. in Pottawattamie County District Court.

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