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

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http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/app ... 1/71211006

Father sentenced to nine years for assault on infant daughter
From NBC4/Columbus

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A man found guilty in the assault of his two-month-old child will spend the next nine years in jail.

John Kirkbride, 24, pleaded guilty to felonious assault and child endangerment in connection to the hospitalization of his daughter, NBC 4 reported.




Kirkbride was accused of throwing the infant onto a bed, causing her to bleed in the brain.

The nine year sentence is shorter than the maximum sentence of 16 years that Kirkbride could have received.


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Marina
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Postby Marina » Wed Dec 12, 2007 2:16 pm

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http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti ... 1/71211050

Detroit dad also charged in abuse death

December 11, 2007

By BEN SCHMITT

FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

In September, 2-year-old Carila Williams was treated for burns at a local hospital after being in the custody of her mother – a woman whose parental rights had been terminated.

Two months later, Carila was dead on arrival at Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit, found with skull fractures, facial injuries and a broken clavicle.


The child’s mother, Nicole Holloway, 32, is already charged with felony murder for the Nov. 3 death.

Today, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced an involuntary manslaughter charge against Carila’s father, Warren Williams, 40, of Detroit.

Warren Williams had sole custody of Carila and knew that Holloway was to have no physical contact with the girl, Worthy said.

“The real message today is that if a person is given custody of a child, that person is to protect that child with every fiber of their being,” Worthy said. “Mr. Williams was responsible for this child.”

Holloway is accused of beating her daughter to death at the Packard Motel on East Grand Boulevard in Detroit. She allegedly told a hotel manager that she had hit her child and that the police needed to be called.

Police said the woman admitted that she beat her daughter with her hands because she was angry with her.

Worthy said the child, born in July 2005, had already suffered extensive abuse at the hands of Holloway when the state terminated her parental rights on Dec. 7, 2005.

Child Protective Services also investigated the Sept. 14 incident when Carila sustained burns to her inner thighs and ankle while in Holloway’s care, Worthy said.

“My understanding is, it’s still being investigated,” Worthy said. “I’m going to wait until they finish their investigation. But we have done our duty by issuing the criminal charge against the father.”

Warren Williams faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted and will be arraigned today in 36th District Court.

Holloway, who Worthy said had a substance abuse problem, is currently being evaluated at the State Forensic Center in Ypsilanti.

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Marina
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Postby Marina » Wed Dec 12, 2007 2:26 pm

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http://www.ktbs.com/news/Missing-woman- ... lect-7112/

Missing woman and children located; mother charged with child neglect

Created: December 12, 2007 10:05 AM Modified: December 12, 2007 10:54 AM

A woman who disappeared with her two children for 10 days was located Tuesday night. She was arrested for child neglect and the children were placed with family members, police said.

Tosha Collins, 30, of Navaho Trail, and her two children, a 5-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl, had not been heard from since Dec. 1, police said.

There were medical concerns about the children, police said.

They were located after media reports Tuesday evening. The children were OK but Collins was booked for cruelty to a juvenile for allegedly neglecting to take the children to school and for not having their daily needed medication, police said.


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Marina
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Postby Marina » Wed Dec 12, 2007 2:30 pm

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http://www.wrcbtv.com/news/index.cfm?sid=1439

Family says DCS Unfairly Took Custody of Their Son



A Cleveland, Tennessee family says the Department of Children's Services unfairly took custody of their son.

Melody and Ryan Messer say a DCS caseworker took their Autistic 5 year old son Brett Friday night. The worker told the Messers they neglected Brett, by allowing him to get outside their Cleveland apartment. The couple says they spend their lives trying to keep Brett safe; they think the whole situation has been handled poorly.

"She took our autistic child," said Melody Messer. "I said please don't do this, you don't understand, if you take him out of the environment he knows it can make him go backwards and we'll have to start all over with him if we're lucky."

"Maybe they shouldn't take people's kids away who's innocent," Ryan Messer said. "They look at everybody as being guilty and everybody's not guilty."

A representative from DCS says the department tries to keep families and children together and only separates them when a child's safety is in jeopardy. The Messers will go before a Judge Monday.



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Marina
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Postby Marina » Thu Dec 13, 2007 7:15 pm

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http://www.wndu.com/home/headlines/12377966.html

Parents of wandering child speak out

Posted: 7:34 PM Dec 11, 2007
Last Updated: 7:34 PM Dec 11, 2007
Reporter: Ryan Famuliner
Email Address: [email protected]


A | A | A We told you last week about a five-year-old girl found wandering the streets of Oswego in the middle of a snowstorm.

It was the fifth time the child walked away from home on her own.

The five-year-old's parents have been divorced, and living separately for about three years, although they both say they have other children in their care, and neither of them can explain why the little girl wanders away.

Now they are doing everything they can to prevent their daughter from being placed in foster care.

Both say they cannot stand not knowing what will happen to their daughter because they have not heard much from C.P.S.

Erika Shaw was in the custody of her mother and step-father, until just before Thanksgiving, when she walked from her house to Warsaw High School, almost a mile away.

“She was asleep, and we figured it would be okay to take a nap before she went to school, but she decided to go to school by herself, she got on her boots, got her coat on, went to the car and got her book bag,” said Jeramy Girouard, Erika’s step-father, as he sat next to his wife, Amanda in their house in Warsaw.

Child Protective Services put Erika in her grandparent's care, in Oswego, after that incident, which is the small town where she was found wandering in a snowstorm last week.

“I don't know where she would have gone. I'm glad I saw her,” said David Bingaman, who found Erika last week.

Erika said she was looking for her dad, who lives miles away in Bristol.

“I'm thankful for David for finding my daughter, if it wasn't for him it's hard telling what could have happened to her,” said Jeremy Shaw, Erika’s father.

While her mother cannot explain her daughter's actions, she says they are preparing to have her back in the house. This includes putting in door sensors and cameras in the hallways so they can watch from their bedroom.

Meanwhile, her father says he is filing for full custody of Erika after the incidents. But both want the same result, to get Erika out of C.P.S.'s custody.

“I just want her placed with me or Amanda, I just want her safe, I just don't want to see her in a foster care home,” Shaw said.

Erika's father says he talked to a C.P.S. case worker on Tuesday, who said they thought Erika would be placed with one of them in the next week or two.

C.P.S. cannot comment on the situation, due to privacy laws.

Erika's mother was required to take six weeks of parenting classes, and find a daycare for Erika. She says she has done the latter and has not completed the classes yet.

Shaw says he read many of the comments on our website following the story last week, and wanted to clear some things up.

“There's nothing wrong with my daughter, she's not autistic, she doesn’t sleepwalk, and she’s a normal five-year-old girl,” Shaw said.


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Marina
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Postby Marina » Thu Dec 13, 2007 7:20 pm

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http://www.wndu.com/home/headlines/12377966.html

Parents of wandering child speak out

Posted: 7:34 PM Dec 11, 2007
Last Updated: 7:34 PM Dec 11, 2007
Reporter: Ryan Famuliner
Email Address: [email protected]


A | A | A We told you last week about a five-year-old girl found wandering the streets of Oswego in the middle of a snowstorm.

It was the fifth time the child walked away from home on her own.

The five-year-old's parents have been divorced, and living separately for about three years, although they both say they have other children in their care, and neither of them can explain why the little girl wanders away.

Now they are doing everything they can to prevent their daughter from being placed in foster care.

Both say they cannot stand not knowing what will happen to their daughter because they have not heard much from C.P.S.

Erika Shaw was in the custody of her mother and step-father, until just before Thanksgiving, when she walked from her house to Warsaw High School, almost a mile away.

“She was asleep, and we figured it would be okay to take a nap before she went to school, but she decided to go to school by herself, she got on her boots, got her coat on, went to the car and got her book bag,” said Jeramy Girouard, Erika’s step-father, as he sat next to his wife, Amanda in their house in Warsaw.

Child Protective Services put Erika in her grandparent's care, in Oswego, after that incident, which is the small town where she was found wandering in a snowstorm last week.

“I don't know where she would have gone. I'm glad I saw her,” said David Bingaman, who found Erika last week.

Erika said she was looking for her dad, who lives miles away in Bristol.

“I'm thankful for David for finding my daughter, if it wasn't for him it's hard telling what could have happened to her,” said Jeremy Shaw, Erika’s father.

While her mother cannot explain her daughter's actions, she says they are preparing to have her back in the house. This includes putting in door sensors and cameras in the hallways so they can watch from their bedroom.

Meanwhile, her father says he is filing for full custody of Erika after the incidents. But both want the same result, to get Erika out of C.P.S.'s custody.

“I just want her placed with me or Amanda, I just want her safe, I just don't want to see her in a foster care home,” Shaw said.

Erika's father says he talked to a C.P.S. case worker on Tuesday, who said they thought Erika would be placed with one of them in the next week or two.

C.P.S. cannot comment on the situation, due to privacy laws.

Erika's mother was required to take six weeks of parenting classes, and find a daycare for Erika. She says she has done the latter and has not completed the classes yet.

Shaw says he read many of the comments on our website following the story last week, and wanted to clear some things up.

“There's nothing wrong with my daughter, she's not autistic, she doesn’t sleepwalk, and she’s a normal five-year-old girl,” Shaw said.


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Marina
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Postby Marina » Thu Dec 13, 2007 7:41 pm

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http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... ?track=rss

Arrested mom asks for apology
Cops accuse woman of endangering child

By Karoun Demirjian | Tribune staff reporter
December 13, 2007


A Tinley Park woman and her family are seeking an apology from Crestwood police after a weekend excursion to donate to charity ended with the mother of three being arrested on a child-endangerment charge.

Ellen "Treffly" Coyne said she, her three daughters, Sierra, 9, Haley, 8, and Phoebe, 2, and a friend decided to get in the holiday spirit Saturday by taking a jar of money the girls had collected to give to the Salvation Army.

The older girls had collected $8.29 in pennies -- loose change found around the office of their father, Tim Janecyk -- and selected a bell-ringer's bucket at a Wal-Mart in Crestwood to donate their money, Coyne said.




Coyne pulled up to the curb to take a picture of the girls as they posed by the bell-ringer and poured their coins into the red receptacle.

"My 2-year-old had fallen fast asleep," Coyne said. "It was sleeting, and I said, 'I'm not going to risk carrying my kid and falling.'"

So she turned off the engine, put her hazard lights on, locked the car and walked 30 feet from the car to get a few snapshots of the girls, Coyne said.

"I was always within ear- and eyeshot of the car," Coyne said. "It was a five-minute affair."

But that was enough time to get the mother of three in serious trouble with the law.

Coyne said when she turned around, a uniformed police officer was standing by her car and told Coyne, "You're not going anywhere."

"She said, 'I've had it up to here with people like you deciding they can just go and leave an innocent child in a car,'" Coyne said. "I thought to myself, 'Oh, dear God, this is insane.'"

In Illinois, parents who leave their children in a car out of sight and unattended by anyone at least 14 years old for 10 minutes or more can face child-endangerment charges that carry a penalty of up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine.

That's the penalty Coyne might face Jan. 27 in a court in Bridgeview, should the Cook County state's attorney's office decide to prosecute her case.

The state's attorney's office declined Wednesday to comment on the case.

Coyne was arrested outside the Wal-Mart Saturday night on charges of child-endangerment and obstruction of justice after police arriving as backup demanded to know the name of her 2-year-old. Coyne refused to speak until her husband arrived, she said, and soon found herself cuffed and in the back of a squad car.

Officers then went to her car and started the engine with the baby inside -- "exposing my child to carbon monoxide poisoning," Coyne said. She assumed the other girls were in police custody.

But they weren't.

"The police abandoned my other daughters at the Wal-Mart," said Janecyk, who eventually found them seated on a bench in the Wal-Mart. "I asked them why they didn't ask for help, but they said the police scared them."

Crestwood Police Chief Timothy Sulikowski did not return phone calls requesting comment.

Janecyk said it took him several hours to get his youngest daughter out of police protective custody and to get his wife released. Coyne is being investigated by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

DCFS spokesman Kendall Marlowe would not comment on the status of the investigation, but said, "The department has had no prior contact with this family."

Coyne has submitted a written complaint to the Crestwood Police Department and demanded an official apology from the chief. But for now, she said, she is just waiting for an opportunity to clear her name.

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Postby Marina » Fri Dec 14, 2007 9:06 pm

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http://www.nbc-2.com/Articles/readartic ... 381&z=3&p=

Hit & run suspect investigated for child abuse

Last updated on: 12/13/2007 5:59:25 PM by Meaghan Smith

CHARLOTTE COUNTY: A man rushing to the hospital to check on his sick child got in an accident, allegedly left the scene, was arrested and is now being investigated for child abuse.

According to deputies, Justin Daigle was on his way to the hospital because "something happened to his baby and she was being airlifted by a helicopter."

Authorities say in the middle of that frantic trip, he rear-ended a car.

"The guy said, 'I don't have time to give you my information. But if you'll follow me I'm going to the hospital,'" said Bob Carpenter, who works for the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office.

The driver of the other car, Ernest Dinet, wanted to be a Good Samaritan so he agreed to follow Daigle.

But on the way to the hospital Daigle lost Dinet, so he called deputies.

Authorities were able to track down Daigle at home and arrested him on hit and run charges, but the story doesn't end there.

The mother claimed that the 7-month-old girl fell off a bed and hit her head, but the nature of the injuries sparked an abuse investigation by DCF.

"Those things need to be looked at for the safety of that child," said Carpenter.

The little girl is now being treated at a Tampa hospital.

The sheriff's office says hospitals are required to report any injury that seems out of the ordinary. Since the baby had a head injury, investigators were called in.

But so far no child abuse charges have been filed.


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Postby Marina » Sat Dec 15, 2007 9:06 pm

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http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/conten ... 7&cxcat=16

E-mail this page Print this page Most popular
Father jailed on child abuse charges
Authorities say child, one other sibling were abused for 'more than a year.'
Click-2-Listen
By Lawrence Budd

Staff Writer

Saturday, December 15, 2007

XENIA — The father of a Paintersville boy reported missing this week was jailed Friday on accusations that he committed child abuse.

David O. Liskany, 38, was in the Greene County jail on five felony counts of child endangering, according to the sheriff's office. The charges alleged he used "cruel discipline" on the son who ran away and at least one other child, authorities said.

Liskany is likely to be arraigned early next week, and a county grand jury could hear evidence in the case next week as well, sheriff's Lt. Tom Adkins said Friday evening.

Sheriff's investigators arrested Liskany after his 13-year-old son James, who was reported missing Tuesday, turned himself in to authorities on Thursday night.

Investigators had listed the boy as an "endangered missing" after they said he went missing from home Tuesday evening. According to the sheriff's office, the boy was sent out to do his chores and disappeared.

"A discussion at home prior to his leaving was over poor grades," according to the sheriff's office, which also noted that the boy has a history of running away.

The boy and "at least one other" sibling were subjected to cruel punishment for "more than a year," sheriff's Capt. Eric Spicer said, also noting to a reporter that the children in the Liskany household have been relocated because of the investigation.

He declined further comment because the investigation is continuing.

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Postby Marina » Mon Dec 17, 2007 3:47 pm

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http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/loc ... ?track=rss

Fort Pierce grandmother charged with child neglect after roaches, old food found in home

The Associated Press
10:50 AM EST, December 17, 2007



FORT PIERCE, Fla. - A woman was arrested on a child neglect charge after authorities found the home she shared with her 10-year-old granddaughter littered with roaches, animal feces and rotten food, police said.

Geraldine Overton, 64, was arrested Friday on a felony charge of child neglect without great harm. She was released Saturday from the St. Lucie County Jail on $2,500 bond. It was not immediately clear if Overton had an attorney. No home telephone number could be found for her.

The state Department of Children & Families took custody of the granddaughter. The agency had received complaints about Overton and police accompanied DCF investigators to her home.




"The floor and walls appeared to move from all the roaches," Fort Pierce police Officer Jim Minton wrote in his arrest affidavit. "There was no running water and the toilet was full of excrement."

Authorities said Overton's home and yard were cluttered with trash. Minton wrote there was "a horrible stench coming from inside."

"There were dogs running around in feces, trash and rotten food," Minton wrote.

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Postby Marina » Sat Dec 29, 2007 8:40 pm

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http://www.kcci.com/news/14889785/detai ... s&psp=news

Verdict Overturned In Alleged Child Abuse Case

POSTED: 10:56 am CST December 19, 2007
UPDATED: 10:57 am CST December 19, 2007


OMAHA, Neb. -- A Council Bluffs couple is in disbelief after a judge's ruling that clears a woman accused of abusing their 2-year-old son.

"I had to explain to a victim's family why they've got a guilty verdict one minute, and a not guilty verdict the next," said Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber.

On Thursday, a jury found the boy's child care provider guilty of child endangerment in a June incident that left him with internal injuries. Moments later, a judge overturned that verdict citing insufficient evidence.



Jay Newman just turned 2 years old on Saturday. He has an 8-inch scar on his abdomen, evidence of emergency surgery he experienced this summer. He's expected to make a full recovery from his injuries.

His mother, Molly Newman, said when she picked him up from day care one day in June, he was in distress.

"I walked in. He was laying on the couch. He was pale white. His lips were purple," said Newman.

The child's day care provider was arrested and charged with neglect or abandonment and child endangerment with serious injury.

Last week, a jury found the woman not guilty on two counts, but guilty of child endangerment. That's defined as willingly depriving a child of necessary health care, substantially harming the child's health.

"The judge dismissed the jury and said thank you for your service. And about a minute later came back in, set aside the jury's verdict and entered judgment of acquittal or not guilty," said Wilber.

In his order, Judge Timothy O'Grady said there was not sufficient evidence to sustain a conviction.

"I can't ethically take a case to trial when I don't believe we have enough evidence. Just the fact we took it, we thought we had enough. So did the officers, so did the doctors, so ultimately, did a jury," said Wilber.

He said he felt bad for the jurors who deliberated for 10 hours on the case. He also wants justice for the boy's family.

"We don't understand how this happened in the court system. Someone needs to be held accountable for their actions and for what happened to Jay," said the boy's mother.

Wilber contacted the Iowa attorney general about the possibility of an appeal.

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Postby Marina » Sat Dec 29, 2007 8:45 pm

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http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar ... /712190357

Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Pontiac

Court restricts contact in child-abuse case

Mom accused of allowing spouse to sexually assault autistic daughter is granted supervised visits with son.

Mike Martindale / The Detroit News

PONTIAC -- Attorneys for a West Bloomfield Township couple charged with child sexual abuse of their 14-year-old autistic daughter won limited supervised visitation for the mother with her teenage son Tuesday and received a copy of an audio-visual tape in which the girl allegedly made complaints to investigators.

The allegations surfaced last month when the girl, who cannot speak, told a teacher's aide via a computer facilitator keyboard that she had been sexually assaulted by her father during Thanksgiving break from special education classes at her Walled Lake high school.

In subsequent interviews with child protective workers, the girl told investigators that abuse has been going on in the home since she was 6 years old with the knowledge of her mother, who is an attorney.


"She (daughter) is not credible -- answers provided on a computer keyboard are unreliable," said Jerome Sabotta, the father's attorney, who appeared before Family Court Judge Joan Young on Tuesday. "People with autism don't always make the proper connections. And we're very interested in having the tape viewed by an expert to assess what kind of answers she provided to a teacher's assistant she was trying to please."

The parents, who have denied any wrongdoing, were arraigned on criminal charges Dec. 5. The Detroit News is not naming them to protect the girl's identity. The 52-year-old father, who faces three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, remains in the Oakland County Jail without bond. The 44-year-old mother, who has been charged with second-degree criminal sexual conduct -- allegedly having knowledge that the assaults were taking place -- and also witness tampering, was placed on a $2 million bond, later reduced to personal bond.

The girl and her 13-year-old brother were removed from the home and placed in protective care. The boy has reportedly made statements to investigators involving inappropriate statements made to him by his father, whom he said he saw showering naked with his sister.

Assistant prosecuting attorney Andrea Dean, who specializes in child abuse and neglect cases for the county, said the witness tampering charge involves the girl's report of a visit from her mother after she was placed in a rabbi's home. The girl said during the visit, her mother told her they were unhappy with things she had told authorities and would be taking her to South Africa, where her father is from, in a few days. While the rabbi insists the visit never took place, the couple's passports have been surrendered under court order.

A hearing on the criminal charges is pending Jan. 24.

You can reach Mike Martindale at (248) 647-7226 or [email protected].

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Postby Marina » Mon Dec 31, 2007 5:15 pm

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http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/ ... 7&cxcat=77

Couple charged with child neglect

By DAPHNE DURET

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Friday, December 21, 2007

HOBE SOUND — The parents of four young children are facing child neglect charges after authorities say they found them living in a filthy, roach-infested house where a fairly new big-screen television loomed in a bedroom over dirty mattresses, piles of rotting food and dirty clothes teeming with bugs.

A Department of Children and Families caseworker called Martin County sheriff's deputies Wednesday night when she arrived at Deanna and Mark Anthony Ellis' house, according to the arrest report filed Thursday. The couple have three daughters - ages 6, 4 and 2 - and a 3-year-old son.



Inside the house, deputy David Bowes smelled a strong odor of urine, the report said.

"The floors were extremely dirty, and as I walked through the house my feet would stick to the floor," Bowes wrote in his report.

Inside the kitchen, they found half-eaten stale sandwiches and fish sitting in bowls of water.

Roaches were crawling on the countertops, where two pocket knives were sitting on top of a microwave near a cabinet that contained hypodermic needles.

The bathroom also was full of roaches, including one that was crawling over a toothbrush, the report said. Puddles of urine, soaked toilet paper and dirty clothes littered the floor around a black-ringed toilet bowl, the report said.

The floors in the bedroom where the oldest three children slept were covered with dirty clothes, rotting apple cores and cockroaches.

Authorities said the newest appliance in the house seemed to be a 60-inch television in the bedroom, which towered above two dirty mattresses with roaches crawling all over them.

Rotting food was shoved in the corners below a playpen.

Deanna Ellis reportedly told Bowes and the caseworker that was where the youngest child slept.

Bowes gave the children a meal from Wendy's, according to his report, and arrested Deanna Ellis, 25, and Mark Anthony Ellis, 30, on felony charges of child neglect.

DCF workers said they were removing the children from the house and sending them to stay with a relative.

The couple were released from the Martin County jail Thursday after they each posted $2,500 bond, jail officials said.

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Postby Marina » Mon Dec 31, 2007 5:25 pm

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http://www.cbs6albany.com/news/school_1 ... lbany.html

Three Albany Parents Arrested for Kids' Truancy

CBS 6 Albany
December 20, 2007 - 3:54PM


Albany police arrested three Albany parents on charges of endangering the welfare of a child after failing to ensure their children attended school over a year-and-a-half period and ignoring city and county agencies' assistance.

Tomekia McCall, 31, of Garfield Place and Craig and Judy Fribourg, 46 and 53 respectively, of North Street were charged after their children skipped school over the 2006-2007 school year and this fall semester.

The parents neglected to seek preventive help after being consistently offered assistance, police said.

McCall was arrested Nov. 16 and the Fribourgs were arrested Dec. 14.

McCall's 15-year-old child missed 96 days out of the 180-day school year in 2006-2007. As of November 16th, her child has missed 24 school days.

The Fribourgs; 15-year-old child missed 83 days out of the 180-day school year in 2006-2007. As of December 14th, their child has missed 61 school days.

As a result of their truancy, both children failed the 2006-2007 school year at Albany High School.

The arrests occurred after more than a dozen home visits over the past year and a half by Albany detectives Children & Family Services Unit, Albany County Probation, school officials and members of the Truancy Center.

The parents were charged under the educational neglect section of endangering the welfare of a child.


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Postby Marina » Mon Dec 31, 2007 5:53 pm

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http://www.post-trib.com/news/705859,hammonds.article

Judge gives probation for child neglect

December 20, 2007
Post-Tribune staff report

Lake Superior Court Judge Thomas Stefaniak Jr. sentenced a Cedar Lake woman accused of neglecting her three young children to one year of probation.
Amber Lynn Hammonds, 24, of the 12000 block of West 151st Avenue, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of taking a child to a nuisance, which is punishable by a maximum one-year sentence.

Hammonds admitted that between March 17 and March 18 there was a small amount of marijuana on the bedroom floor near her then-7-month-old baby's crib. Two other young children were present in the home and being cared for by teenage sitters, authorities said.

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Postby Marina » Mon Dec 31, 2007 6:15 pm

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http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti ... 3/71218054

Freep.com » News » Oakland County

Mother not allowed to see daugher who accused husband of rape

December 18, 2007

By JOHN WISELY

FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

A West Bloomfield mother accused of child abuse can visit her son but not her autistic daughter, who has accused the woman’s husband of rape, a judge ruled today in Pontiac.

Oakland County Family Court Judge Joan Young agreed to allow the mother to spend an hour each week with her son in a supervised setting after a court-appointed guardian for the children said it could be for the son, who has been removed from his home since his father was accused of raping his autistic sister.


“I think it would be reassuring to (him) to see his mother,” said Abbie Shuman. “He’s not doing great with this.”

The Free Press is not naming the family to protect the identity of an alleged rape victim.

The case stems from the 14-year-old girl’s accusation that her father raped her repeatedly since she was 6 and her mother refused to intervene. The girl is autistic and cannot speak.

She made the accusation through a controversial technique known as facilitated communication, in which an aide helps a nonverbal student type thoughts into a computer keyboard. Courts have disallowed testimony taken by such means and many academics dismiss it, saying the words of the patient cannot be distinguished from those of the facilitator.

The husband remains jailed on charges of rape and child abuse. The mother is free on personal bond, charged with child abuse as well.

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Marina
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Postby Marina » Mon Dec 31, 2007 6:24 pm

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http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.d ... S/71217026

December 17, 2007


Grandmother charged with child neglect

ASSOCIATED PRESS




FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A woman was arrested on a child neglect charge after authorities found the home she shared with her 10-year-old granddaughter littered with roaches, animal feces and rotten food, police said.

Geraldine Overton, 64, was arrested Friday on a felony charge of child neglect without great harm. She was released Saturday from the St. Lucie County Jail on $2,500 bond. It was not immediately clear if Overton had an attorney. No home telephone number could be found for her.

The state Department of Children & Families took custody of the granddaughter. The agency had received complaints about Overton and police accompanied DCF investigators to her home.

“The floor and walls appeared to move from all the roaches,” Fort Pierce police Officer Jim Minton wrote in his arrest affidavit. “There was no running water and the toilet was full of excrement.”

Authorities said Overton’s home and yard were cluttered with trash. Minton wrote there was “a horrible stench coming from inside.”

“There were dogs running around in feces, trash and rotten food,” Minton wrote.


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Marina
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Postby Marina » Sun Feb 10, 2008 8:27 pm

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http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2008 ... 210221.txt

Saturday, February 9, 2008 6:01 AM CST
Nashua man charged with shaking daughter
NASHUA -- Randy Lee Blanchard, 31, of Nashua, was arrested on charges of child endangerment causing serious injury, a Class C felony, for allegedly shaking his infant daughter.

Blanchard's 6-day old daughter, Aliya, was transferred from Floyd County Memorial Hospital to Covenant Medical Center in Waterloo on Tuesday with injuries consistent with shaken baby syndrome.

The Nashua Police Department was contacted by security personnel at Covenant after it was determined that the child likely suffered from shaken baby syndrome. The infant was transferred to Saint Mary's hospital in Rochester, Minn., where she was entered into the intensive care unit.

Randy Blanchard was arrested around 5:30 p.m. Friday in Rochester.

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Marina
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Postby Marina » Sun Feb 10, 2008 8:40 pm

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http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/local_ ... 11712.html

Published February 08, 2008 01:17 am -

Children removed from home; boy’s injury under probe




Workers with child-protective services removed two boys, ages 2 and 1, from the care and custody of their 23-year-old mother Thursday morning in Joplin after she allegedly offered conflicting accounts of how the older boy suffered a black eye.

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Marina
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Postby Marina » Sun Feb 17, 2008 8:25 pm

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http://www.wvec.com/news/topstories/sto ... d.html?npc

Missing child located in New York

11:19 AM EST on Monday, December 24, 2007

By 13News

Virginia Beach Police say a child who was supposed to be turned over to the Department of Human Services month ago has been located.

Tasha Patrice Slaughter was supposed to turn her 7-year-old son over to DHS on September 20th, per a court order. Police say Slaughter is homeless, and unable to provide adequate shelter and care for the boy.

Friday evening, the child was located in Brooklyn, N.Y. with family members, according to Margie Long, spokeswoman for the Va. Beach Police Department.

The boy, whose name was not relased, is now in the custody of police in New York. He is reportedly healthy and in good shape.

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Marina
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Postby Marina » Sat Mar 22, 2008 7:17 am

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http://www.wtap.com/news/headlines/12841262.html

Deputy Sheriff Target of Investigation

WTAP News
Posted: 10:40 PM Dec 26, 2007
Last Updated: 10:40 PM Dec 26, 2007
Reporter: Elizabeth Green
Email Address: [email protected]




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A | A | A A Washington County Deputy Sheriff and his wife are being investigated on child endangerment charges.

Jeffrey Morris and his wife, Tawni Morris, are accused of leaving their eight-year old son home alone.

Mrs. Morris is under house arrest, and a probation officer found the boy while doing a compliance check.

Officers say there were five loaded guns in plain view in the Marietta home.

Mr. Morris is on administrative leave with pay, while the Sheriff's Department conducts an internal affairs investigation.
Children's Services is also investigating.



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Marina
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Postby Marina » Tue Apr 01, 2008 7:01 pm

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http://www.kctv5.com/news/14968978/deta ... n&psp=news

Social Services Returns Children To Mother
Children Removed From 'Filthy Home'

POSTED: 8:31 am CST January 3, 2008
UPDATED: 8:49 am CST January 3, 2008


KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- A mother who had her children taken away got them back Wednesday night after a thorough house cleaning.

Brandi Smith asked KCTV5 News to show her side of the story – to see her getting her two children back from juvenile custody and bringing them home to a house that is no longer filthy.

Police responded to a 911 hang-up call on Monday at the duplex on North 57th Street. Officers said they discovered her two sons, Brian, 12, and Zachary, 11, home alone, in squalid conditions. There were animal feces throughout the house, according to city inspectors, who deemed the dwelling unfit for human use.

"It was clustered. There was stuff everywhere and now everything is in its place," said Smith.

Four garbage bags full and two days of scrubbing later, Smith showed an official with the Division of Social Services that the house was clean.

Smith said, "It woke me up and it's made me realize I must take more control of my household. I'm a single mom. I'm trying to work and provide a home for them. So, it has made me where I'm going to have to be more aware."

Smith said Social Services assured her she will not face child neglect charges. On Thursday, city inspectors will tour her home to see that conditions are improved.

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Marina
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Postby Marina » Wed Apr 02, 2008 3:25 pm

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http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... ss&feed=11

Lice problem leads to Belle Vernon mom's arrest

By Bob Stiles
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, April 2, 2008


Nicole Lynn Holmes was warned not to send her children back to school with head lice, police said.
But authorities say she did, and now she faces a preliminary hearing Friday before Belle Vernon District Judge Jesse Cramer in what some say is an unusual case.

Fayette County's Washington Township police have charged Holmes, 27, of 203 Wood St., Belle Vernon, with two counts of child endangerment.

In an affidavit of probable cause, police Lt. John McLaughlin said he was contacted by a Belle Vernon Area School District school counselor who said two of Holmes' children were being neglected.


The children were discovered infested with lice in late February at Marion Elementary School, the affidavit said, and Holmes refused to pick them up. Earlier in the month, she was told not to let the children return to school until they saw a doctor and the lice problem was taken care of, police said.
"Nicole had failed to do this, and on (Feb. 29) she sent the (children) to school by way of the bus, subjecting other students on the bus and in their classes to lice," the affidavit said.

Holmes is in jail in lieu of $5,000 bond. Southwest Regional police said they are investigating another incident involving her alleged neglect of her children.

Within the last few months, Holmes has been found guilty by a district judge of at least five incidents over compulsory school attendance, a summary offense, according to court records. She is awaiting disposition on two school code violations, also summary offenses, in Cramer's office, records show.

Marion Principal Keith McMonagle referred questions to the district's head nurse, who didn't return telephone calls seeking comment yesterday.

Others said lice problems in schools can be common, but filing criminal charges in such a case isn't.

Greensburg police Chief Walter J. "Wally" Lyons said he's heard of charges being filed in cases involving repeated failure to address medical problems, but not specifically for lice.

Mary Joseph, Greensburg Salem School District head nurse, and Rebecca Costello, Hempfield Area School District director of pupil services, said they have contacted the Westmoreland County Children's Bureau in problem cases with lice, but neither could recall contacting police.

Child welfare personnel are called mostly because they are able to help parents directly with information on how to clean up their homes to get rid of the infestation, the school officials explained. The districts do send information home with children about lice.

"Sometimes parents don't even know what it is -- they haven't had the experience -- unless the child is itching so badly," Joseph said.

Both Joseph and Costello said young children seem to be the most troubled by lice.

Joseph said camping and other summer activities seem to increase the chances of children getting lice and bringing them or their eggs to school.

In particular, Greensburg Salem nurses check children for lice at the start of each school year, Joseph said.

"We won't let them back in if they're not clear (of lice)," she said.

Costello said young children seem to get lice more often because they will share caps, combs and other items.

She said the school nurse calls parents of a student with lice.

This year, for the first time, Hempfield sent home information with students who are not infected but are in a classroom with a lice-carrying student.

A parent or someone else must bring a lice-troubled child to school on the first day back after infestation, and that child must be checked for lice by the school nurse before being allowed to return to class, Costello said.

"We won't let them ride a school bus in case they aren't rid of the lice," she said.

Holmes' children are in the care of the Fayette County child welfare officials, police said.

Nancy Rice, the grandmother of the children, told WTAE television yesterday that the children are "doing well."

"They're happy they're staying in the same school, and they're doing good. Different arrangements, but they'll get used to it," Rice said. "We'll make it work. I love my grandkids. I love my kids. We'll make it work."



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Marina
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Postby Marina » Wed Apr 02, 2008 3:40 pm

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http://www.myfoxorlando.com/myfox/pages ... geId=3.2.1

DCF Issues No Contact Order Against Mom

Last Edited: Tuesday, 01 Apr 2008, 8:32 PM EDT
Created: Tuesday, 01 Apr 2008, 8:32 PM EDT

Robin Cain


By Holly Bristow
FOX 35 NEWS

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Florida. (WOFL FOX 35, Orlando) -- The Florida Department of Children and Family service has issued a ‘no contact’ order that prevents a mother from Daytona Beach from seeing or speaking to her children.

On March 17th Robin Cain's home caught fire. Cain, her 16 year old daughter, the teen’s boyfriend and three younger children she had with her estranged husband were inside the home.

Cain and the two teens made it out safe. Neighbors and firefighters went back in the burning home to rescue the three little ones, who were staying in the same bedroom. 5 year old Chase made it out okay. But Cain's four year old twin girls weren't as lucky. Krystal’s body was found inside her closet. Kathryn was alive but burned. She has since been flown to Shriners hospital in Cincinnati; her father is at her bedside.

Investigators say the fire started in the children’s bedroom. But the cause is of the blaze is still unknown, the state fire marshals office is still working to make a determination.

DCF is investigating to see if Robin Cain had been negligent in any way the night of the fatal fire. Until their investigation is complete Robin Cain is not allowed to see or speak with her children.

"During an active investigation we just want to be sure that info gathered is not tainted anyway,” DCF worker Reggie Williams. “The intent of the order was primarily to ensure the safety of the children during the investigation and to prevent any potential influence by the mother in talking to the children.”

DCF said the no contact order will remain in affect until their investigation is over.

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Marina
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Postby Marina » Wed Apr 02, 2008 3:48 pm

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http://www.theindependent.com/stories/0 ... in02.shtml

When is it neglect?


By Meredith Gardner
[email protected]


A social worker knocks on the door. A preschooler answers. She's home alone.
It's a case Michelle Walker, a licensed clinical social worker for Grand Island Public Schools, has faced before.

Throughout the school day, teachers, secretaries and other school workers might hear a student mention that they or their siblings have been left home without supervision.

"It seems to be just kind of luck sometimes," Walker said.

School social workers follow up on such reports and, in some cases, make home visits to check on things, Walker said. If necessary, they contact law enforcement or the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to intervene.

However, "we definitely try to be preventative," Walker said. "If we can identify a high-risk family, we want to get to them before it turns into a state Health and Human Services (issue)."

In Nebraska, there are no clear-cut guidelines on when a child should or shouldn't be left home alone. State statute does not specify an age at which a child can be unattended in a residence only that a child 6 or under cannot be left alone in a car, said Sara Mann, a child abuse investigator for Grand Island Police.

That means each time police receive a call about a child being left unattended, investigators must consider the individual circumstances before deciding whether it's a case of child neglect, Mann said.

Mike Nelson, a child abuse investigator with the police department, said it's probably more fair that way, as one child of a certain age may be considerably more mature than another.

"(It's) clearly a case-by-case basis," Nelson said.

Typically, law enforcement becomes involved with situations of children being left home alone when someone calls in with a concern or when a child has been injured, Nelson said.

Anyone who suspects that a child has been abused is required by Nebraska law to report it to the Health and Human Service Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 1-800-652-1999 or their local law enforcement agency.

As they work with Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services officials, officers take into account a variety of factors, including the child's age, maturity level, access to a phone, knowledge of emergency plan, ability to prepare needed meals and whether other young children are present.

"It's kind of everything, the totality of the situation, before we can really say it's a neglect case or not," Mann said.

Physical neglect is the most frequently substantiated type of child abuse or neglect in both the state and the Central Service Area, which includes Hall County.

According to HHS records, there were 5,787 substantiated cases of physical neglect statewide in 2004, the most recent data available. Of those cases, 438 were recorded in the Central Service Area.

A caregiver's refusal of health care, delay in health care, abandonment, expulsion, inadequate supervision and other forms of reckless disregard for a child's safety and welfare are all considered forms of physical neglect.

Neglect can also be emotional and educational, according to the Child Welfare Information Gateway.

It's rare that local child abuse investigators get calls about problems with children being left home alone, Nelson said. In many cases, police don't hear about such cases until a serious problem has resulted from a lack of supervision.

Reports of children being left home alone typically happen more often in the summer when school is no longer in session, Mann said.

Of the cases she has seen, parents typically leave young children unattended for economic reasons.

"They can't afford to hire somebody, or they don't have the means to make that happen," Mann said.

There's also the issue of convenience, Nelson said, as some parents think it it's easier to leave a small child home alone for a brief period of time than take them to run an errand, even if such an action isn't wise.

No matter what the reason, leaving a young or immature child home unattended can create a dangerous situation, Mann said. There could be house fires, intruders, contact with strangers, cooking hazards, access to weapons and exposure to unsafe chemicals or substances, among countless other issues.

When deciding whether to leave a child home alone, parents should consider both the age and the maturity level of the child, as well as the duration of time the child will be unattended. If a child will be watching younger siblings, parents should ensure they aren't giving the child too much responsibility.

Children should be trained in what to do in case of emergency and left with access to a phone and contact numbers.

"I would recommend that they talk to them about safety issues," Mann said, such as not opening the door or answering the phone when home alone.

Overall, parents must evaluate whether they are giving their child too many adult responsibilities, said Sondra Schwehn, director of the Central Nebraska Child Advocacy Center.

"You just don't ever know with kids," Schwehn said.


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