D.C. police lieutenant arrested after son brings gun to school www.privateofficer.com

WASHINGTON DC June 17 2013 – A D.C. police lieutenant has been charged with providing access to a firearm to a minor, after his teenage son got a hold of his gun and brought it to school in March, according to NBC Washington.
Court documents filed in Prince George’s County indicate Mark Antonio Hodge, of Glenn Dale, was charged with leaving a loaded firearm in a place where he would have known a minor could gain access to it.
NBC Washington says the gun was linked to an incident at DuVal High School in Lanham on March 27, in which a 15-year-old student brought a firearm into the school.
Police later learned the teen had gotten the gun from his home, saying his dad kept the weapon under some clothes in his closet, NBC Washington details.
It’s unclear whether the gun was Hodge’s police-issued weapon, or a personal firearm.
Police say Hodge remains on “full duty” status within the department.

Source- CBS

Parents of toddler found wandering alone in Va. hotel parking lot arrested www.privateofficer.com

 

FREDERICKSBURG, VA June 2 2013     Fredericksburg police arrested the parents of a toddler found wandering around in a parking lot alone. Officers responded to the Hospitality House at 2801 Plank Road around 5:40 a.m. Thursday.

A 2-year-old, wearing only a diaper, was found by a guest and handed to hotel security. Officers were unable to find the parents at the hotel, so the 2-year-old was brought to Child Protective Services.

Police say the father, 31-year-old James Seth Brown, returned to the area of the hotel around 11:30 a.m. and accompanied police to headquarters.

Police were able to contact the mother, Courtney Love Brown, in Spotsylvania around 12:45 p.m. Both parents are charged with felony child neglect.
Source-WWBT

Virginia 2 month-old girl left in car dies www.privateofficer.com

Henrico, Va. May 31 2013–The two and a half month old female baby being treated at VCU Medical Center, after sources said she and her brother were left in a car, died Thursday afternoon.
Lt. Toney with Henrico Police said that the mother of the baby, Brittney Downing, was charged with two counts of felony child neglect on May 28, 2013. Her 20-month-old child died over the weekend.
Henrico Police became involved when they were contacted by Prince George County, regarding the suspicious death of a 20-month-old male, Jelani A. Downing-Batson.
On Tuesday, sources told CBS 6 senior reporter Wayne Covil that Downing left her children in her vehicle while she worked at a Glen Allen hotel on Sunday. On Thursday, Henrico Police said their investigation centers around events that occurred on May 26, 2013, at a hotel in the 10600 block of Telegraph Road.
Downing called 911 just before 6 p.m. on Sunday evening and said her oldest child was in the bedroom and unresponsive at their Bailey Ridge apartment in Prince George.
When the emergency crews arrived, they pronounced the 20-month-old dead and said a 2-month-old infant in the apartment was “experiencing problems.” The baby girl was rushed to VCU Medical Center where she was on a ventilator in critical condition for days.
Downing, 22, turned herself in to Henrico Police Tuesday morning. She will be held without bond pending her next court appearance.
CBS 6 also found that Downing faces other legal troubles, in three other counties.
In Chesterfield County she’s due in court June 10 for Misdemeanor Larceny. In Colonial Heights she’s due in court June 19 for felony obtaining money under false pretense.
In Henrico County she’s due in court July 17 for speeding and driving under a revoked license; her second offense.
Police asked if you have information about the case or if you saw the mother and her two children on Sunday, to call Crime Solvers at 804-733-2777.

Source-WTVR

Mom under arrest after baby dies in hot car outside Dallas school www.privateofficer.com

 

DALLAS  TX May 20 2013— A one-year-old child who was left in a vehicle parked in the faculty lot of Frank Guzick Elementary School Friday afternoon died at Baylor Hospital.

The baby’s mother, Vibha Marks, was arrested. Police said she is a teacher at the school. Dallas police Lt. Paul Stokes said a witness noticed the infant inside the locked vehicle at about 1 p.m. It was about 86 degrees outside. Exenia Gomez, who saw the child, smashed the window with a 2×4 she had in her truck.

Stokes said Gomez performed CPR until EMTs arrived to take the baby to Baylor Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. “I just came out of my truck and I see something pink and I see there is a baby in there,” Gomez said.

“I looked straight at the baby and it wasn’t moving or anything.” The baby was identified as Victoria Marks. She had her first birthday on Thursday. “I actually held her and saw her face,” Gomez said.

“Unimaginable.” Gomez is an intern at the school. She said baby Victoria was wearing shorts and a pink top and was still strapped to her carseat.

Vibha Marks, 42, was arrested after being interviewed at Jack Evans Police Headquarters.

She was charged with child abandonment and freed after posting $50,000 bond.

A statement from the Dallas Independent School District said the teacher was placed on administrative leave pending a police investigation. The district sent home a letter to parents and said grief counselors are on hand for anyone who needs them.

“Obviously this is a very tragic situation,” the district’s statement reads. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the teacher and her family at this time, as well as the staff at Guzick Elementary.”
source-wwltv.com

Preschool Teacher Pleads No Contest to Spiking Toddlers’ Sippy Cups with Sleep Aid www.privateofficer.com

Hollister CA May 5 2013 A California preschool teacher charged with spiking toddlers’ sippy cups with sleeping pills entered a “no contest” plea, prosecutors said on Friday, reducing her original 10 charges down to five.

Deborah Gratz, 59, of Hollister, Calif., is expected to be sentenced on July 5 and faces a jail sentence on five misdemeanor courts. “No contest” has the same effect as a guilty plea.

Deputy District Attorney Summerle Davis had originally charged Gratz with five counts of attempted child endangerment and five counts of assault.

In a statement, Davis said that this case was about parental “betrayal.”

Gratz was released from jail after she was arrested March 11 on her own recognizance following her arrest. She has declined media interviews.

Gratz supervised 10 children at the Kiddie Academy childcare facility in Morgan Hill, Calif., from which she has since been fired.

Prosecutors said that on that day in question, the cups were confiscated before any of the children drank from them. Teachers, prosecutors said, found residue in five of the cups.

The sleeping aid, Sominex, is not supposed to be given to children younger than 12.

New Jersey Couple Arrested, Federally Charged with Abusing Their Children in Cruel ‘Training’ Program www.privateofficer.com

 

NEWARK, NJ May 2 2013—A U.S. Army major surrendered to federal agents following his wife’s arrest at their Mount Holly, New Jersey home this morning on charges that they abused their children through neglectful and cruel acts, including by breaking their bones, denying them medical attention, withholding water, and force-feeding them hot sauce, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Carolyn Jackson, 35, and John E. Jackson, 37, formerly of the Picatinny Arsenal Installation in Morris County, New Jersey, are charged in a 17-count indictment with one count of conspiracy to endanger the welfare of a child, 13 counts of endangering the welfare of a child, and three counts of assault.

The case falls under federal jurisdiction because the crimes were allegedly committed on a military base. The defendants are scheduled to appear this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Falk in Newark federal court.

“Carolyn and John Jackson are charged with unimaginable cruelty to children they were trusted to protect,” said U.S. Attorney Fishman. “The crimes alleged should not happen to any child, anywhere, and it is deeply disturbing that they would happen on a military installation. Along with the FBI, we will continue to seek justice for our communities’ most vulnerable victims.”

According to the indictment unsealed today:

From approximately August 2005 until April 23, 2010, Carolyn and John Jackson conspired to engage in a constant course of neglect and cruelty towards three children they fostered and then adopted, one of whom died in May 2008. The Jacksons told their three biological children not to report the physical assaults to others, saying that the punishments and disciplinary techniques were justified, as they were “training” the adopted children how to behave.

After John Jackson was informed by a family friend that one of the children had revealed the abuse in the Jackson household, John Jackson reported the breach to Carolyn Jackson, who retaliated against that child with multiple beatings with a belt.

The Jacksons physically assaulted their children with various objects, causing two children to sustain fractured bones for which the Jacksons failed to seek prompt medical attention.

They also withheld proper medical care for their adopted children, withheld sufficient nourishment and food for two of their children, withheld adequate water from two of their children, and, at times, prohibited them from drinking water altogether. The Jacksons even punished an adopted child they caught sneaking food or water and required one of their biological children to prevent that child from drinking out of sinks and toilets.

As another form of punishment, Carolyn and John Jackson forced two of the children to consume food intended to cause them pain and suffering, variously including red pepper flakes, hot sauce, and raw onion. They also caused one child to ingest excessive sodium or sodium-laden substances while being deprived of water, leading to a life-threatening condition.

All the children are currently in the custody of the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency.

If convicted, Carolyn and John Jackson each face a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison on each of the 17 counts with which they are charged. Each count also carries a maximum $250,000 fine.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Aaron T. Ford in Newark, with the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, under the command of Major General David E. Quantock, and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa L. Jampol and Elizabeth M. Harris of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Lewiston Idaho babysitter charged in death of toddler www.privateofficer.com

 

 

LEWISTON, Idaho April 13 2013– A Lewiston woman has been charged in the death of a toddler she was babysitting.
A grand jury indicted Natasha Hodges this week on a first-degree murder charge for the Aug. 30 death of 2-year-old Rylee Mingo.
The Lewiston Tribune reports Hodges was booked in the Nez Perce County Jail Thursday and released on a $50,000 bond.
Lewiston police said last year the young girl and an older sibling had been left in the care of a baby sitter when their mother went to work. The younger child began to have breathing difficulty and the sitter called an ambulance.
Police said the preliminary autopsy showed the child died of internal bleeding but not what caused it.
Nez Perce County Prosecutor Dan Spickler declined to release further information.

Source-KTVB.com

Bath Central School District bus monitor faces charges in choking of 7 yr old student www.privateofficer.com

Bath, NY April 2 2013

A Bath Central School District bus monitor is facing charges after allegedly choking a 7-year-old student.

Nancy V. Knapp, 45, has been placed on unpaid leave, pending the outcome of her case, Bath Superintendent Joe Rumsey said. She is charged with endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor, and second-degree harassment, a violation.

She was allowed to remain free without bail. The incident occurred around 6:55 a.m. March 19 while Knapp and the male student were riding on a bus on Cruger Steet in the village. The bus was traveling to a campus outside of the Bath school district.

According to police, Knapp confronted the student and choked, grabbed and shook him. The child was not seriously injured. Bath Police Chief Dave Rouse said Knapp confronted the child because he “was acting up a little bit … and maybe pushing her buttons.”

Rumsey said the district has a video of the incident that was taken by the bus’ surveillance camera. He said the video was turned over to police. Also, Rumsey said the district is conducting its own internal investigation, but it is “following their (police) lead.” “Student safety is always our primary concern,” Rumsey said.

The Leader was unable to find a listed phone number for Knapp.
Source-stubeuncourier.com

Nashville couple put child in oven www.privateofficer.com

NASHVILLE, TN March 25 2013   A Nashville couple faces charges of aggravated child abuse and neglect after they were accused of routinely putting their 5-year-old inside an oven as a form of punishment.

Lavelldo Washington, 34, and Corneisha Wilkerson, 23, were jailed on $50,000 bond each after a grand jury indictment this week. “He should be locked up and don’t get no bond, no nothing,” said neighbor Shermaine Poole.

Police began investigating last year when the couple’s 2-month-old child was treated at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital for a broken leg.

The parents told hospital staff the child woke up one morning screaming, and they said they thought she had been bitten by an insect, according to police. Bruises were also found on both the child’s legs, and police said the couple then refused other interviews with hospital staff.

Authorities later discovered that Washington would allegedly discipline the couple’s 5-year-old by placing the child in a non-activated oven. “Certainly, I’m not an expert on child discipline, but most of the time, appropriate forms are discipline are those things that most folks would know,” said Metro police Cpt. Gordon Howey. “What if the child had been in the oven and somehow it had turned on?”

Neighbors at the family’s apartment complex say they know them well. Washington has at least 29 arrests on his record and is a registered sex offender. As bad as it might seem for him, the family’s neighbor considers it just as bad for Wilkerson who, police say, knew what happened and did not stop it. “I don’t know. It’s just heartbreaking, really,” Poole said.

“She knew it was going on, and her kids are endangered by that. Like, they could really just really be more than hurt. They could be dead. No – it’s her fault, too. She should be locked up.” The couple has three children, and each remains in state custody as the investigation continues.
Source: WSMV .com

Preschool teacher arrested after allegedly drugging toddlers with sleep aid www.privateofficer.com

Morgan Hill CA March 14 2013 A teacher at the Kiddie Academy has been arrested for allegedly drugging students. (KTVU)

A California preschool teacher is facing felony charges after she allegedly drugged toddlers with a sleep aid. KTVU reports 59-year-old Deborah Gratz was arrested on child endangerment charges after she was fired from her job at the Kiddie Academy preschool in Morgan Hill. A witness told authorities they observed Gratz putting an unknown substance into the drinking cups of the children in her classroom, who range in ages 1 to 2. Police say when administrators confronted Gratz, she admitted putting an over-the-counter sleeping aid “Sominex” into the kids’ drinks. None of the children drank from the cups the day the incident was reported. Officials say Gratz had worked at the childcare center for the past five years.

Read more:  http://www.foxnews.com/

Police charge bus driver, monitor after leaving boy, 5, on bus for hours www.privateofficer.com

SUMTER COUNTY, SC March 11 2013   A Sumter School District bus driver and bus monitor have been charged with cruelty to children after allegedly leaving a 5-year-old boy on a bus for three hours Monday morning, according to police.

Sumter Police Chief Russell Roark said former bus driver Delinda Bradley, 49, and former bus monitor Marley Reynolds, 21, were each charged on Tuesday, a day after being fired by the district for not following procedure. According to district spokesperson Shelly Galloway, the boy was picked up at 7 a.m. and was scheduled to be dropped off at Kingsbury Elementary School at 8 a.m.

The child apparently fell asleep and did not get off the bus at his school. After the morning route was complete the driver took the bus to Sumter High School. Galloway says the child was on the bus for a total of 3 hours, but was alone for an hour.

While doing a pre-check for the next route, a different driver discovered the child.   The child was taken to Kingsbury Elementary and his mother was notified, Galloway said. Sumter Police officers later responded to Tuomey Regional Medical Center’s emergency room where the child was being checked as a precaution. Galloway said it is district policy for drivers to search buses before and after each route.
“The care and safety of our students is a top priority,” said Galloway. “The school district is fully cooperating with law enforcement in this matter.” The misdemeanor charge carries a penalty of not more than 30 days in jail or not more than a $200 fine. Both Bradley and Reynolds were released from jail on personal recognizance bonds and are expected to appear in court on March 11 at 2 p.m.
Source:WISTV

New York mom charged after allegedly hiring strippers for 16-year-old’s birthday www.privateofficer.com

Saratoga County NY Feb 22 2013 An upstate New York mother is accused of hiring strippers for her son’s 16th birthday party late last year, according to the Saratoga County District Attorney.

Judy Viger, 33, of Gansevoort is charged with five counts of endangering the welfare of a child, District Attorney James Murphy said in a statement. The parents of five teens who attended the party reported the presence of strippers to police.
The complaining parents found out that the strippers had been at the November 3 bowling party through photos posted on Facebook. The parents took the pictures to the South Glens Falls police, who then started taking witness statements, the district attorney’s statement says.
One of the photos distributed by the district attorney’s office shows Viger receiving a lap dance from one of the hired dancers; another picture shows a young male with another nearly nude dancer on top of him with her legs around his head.
“As difficult as it may be for us to have to weigh in on these kinds of cases, certainly exposing the unsuspecting children to this sort of ‘entertainment’ goes beyond the pale when it comes to what is appropriate for 14, 15 and 16 year old child,” Murphy said in the statement.
CNN affiliate WRGB visited the Viger home and encountered a man who said the family “was not making statements at this time.”
CNN’s calls to Viger, her attorney and the adult entertainment company that provided the dancers were not immediately returned.

Source:CNN

Idaho toddler wanders into bar while dad is at Walmart www.privateofficer.com

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho Feb 13 2013 –

The father of a two-year-old — who was arrested Sunday on child endangerment charges — said he simply forgot about his son when he left the house for work.
Hours later, the boy was found by himself along a busy Coeur d’Alene road.
The boy was taken into protective custody after a couple of Good Samaritans found him standing alone near the intersection of Government Way and Park Avenue Sunday afternoon.
Virginia Griggs is a manager at the nearby Sully’s Pub and Grill.
Griggs said the couple brought the boy into the bar for safe-keeping and called authorities.
The boy told officers his name and his dad’s name. He was wearing an inside out pajama top, sweatpants and boots, and a diaper that looked like it had not been changed for awhile, police said.
Griggs said the boy seemed okay, but because overwhelmed while answering the officers’ questioning.
Police contacted 36-year-old Jesse Edwards of Hayden by cell phone, and were able to confirm the child is his.
Officers arrested Edwards at the Hayden Wal-mart where he was buying a few things. Police said he appeared to be under the influence of some substance.
Authorities said Edwards offered no explanation about how he became separated from his child.
Edwards told KREM 2 News he simply forgot about his son when he went to work just after 7:00 a.m. He said he was so tired, he could not remember if he dropped off his son at his parent’s house near Rathdrum like he normally does. Edwards said he and the boy live at a home a couple of blocks away from where the child was found.
Edwards denied he was under the influence of any substance.
Officers arrested Edwards for child endangerment. He bailed out of jail and is due in court Tuesday.
Edwards said his son’s mother is not in the picture, and that he has full custody of Jake.
The toddler was placed into protective care.

Source:KTVB

Man accused of tattooing “Daddy’s Girl” on daughter www.privateofficer.com

RICHLAND COUNTY, SC Feb 9 2013
A Richland County man is accused of tattooing “Daddy’s Girl” on his daughter.
Deputies arrested 39-year-old Victor Shane Scroggins Thursday morning. He is charged with tattoo of a minor, unlawful neglect of a child and not having a required certificate. After turning himself in Thursday morning, Scroggins was taken to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.
Scroggins is accused of tattooing “Daddy’s Girl” and a Browning logo in his 14-year-old daughter’s wrist at their home in October.
Deputies received tips that Scroggins tattooed his daughter and possibly others in his home, without a license from the Department of Health and Environmental Control. Investigators are looking for anyone who may have received a tattoo from Scroggins. Anyone who has should contact the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
Sheriff Leon Lott says “You should never take getting a tattoo lightly. Know the risks. Tattoos breach the skin which means infections and other complications are possible.”

source-WIS

Toddler found shoeless in parking lot while mom was at club www.privateofficer.com

UPDATED:
FORT MILL, SC Feb 6 2013
A Fort Mill woman is facing charges after deputies say her toddler son was found wandering shoeless around an apartment complex parking lot.
According to the York County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to the Palmetto Place Apartments on Saturday night around 10 p.m. after a two-year-old boy was seen in the parking lot alone.
A woman and her boyfriend saw the two-year-old, according to deputies, and asked where he lived. The young boy was dressed in only a shirt and pajama pants; he was not wearing socks or shoes.
The couple took him back to his apartment, which was unlocked, and found the boy’s four-month-old sister alone in the home in a crib.
The couple took the children back to their apartment and called deputies.
When deputies arrived they searched the home and found it empty. They made contact with the children’s mother, 26-year-old Colleen Louise Pellettiere, who told deputies she was on her way back home.
Brogan arrived at the home more than an hour after deputies arrived at the home, according to the report. Deputies noted that she was wearing only a halter top and black tight pants, no jacket or shoes. Deputies also noted that the temperature was low and it was cold outside.
When asked why she was dressed that way, Brogan’s response was she “had left the house dressed like that.”
According to deputies, Brogan had a black stamp mark on her right hand that resembled ones that are commonly used to get into clubs and bars. When asked, she never could explain why the children were left at home alone, deputies said.
The Department of Social Services was brought to the home and took the children. They were placed with a foster care family in Lake Wylie. The children’s father currently has a pending case with NC’s Children’s Protective Services and is not allowed to have unsupervised visits with the children.
Brogan was charged with two counts of Unlawful Neglect of Children.

Source: WBTV

Child who says he was spanked by Dollar General clerk describes ‘torture’ www.privateofficer.com

WRIGHTSVILLE, Ga. Feb 6 2013 — A Dollar General employee arrested in Wrightsville last week for hitting a child with a belt has now been charged with two felonies, aggravated assault and cruelty to children. The charges were upgraded from simple battery because according to the police chief, store video shows the woman hitting the 8 year old at least 25 times.
After initially saying they were looking into the details of the case before acting, Dollar General told 11Alive News Monday afternoon the employee, Emilia Graciela Bell, had been fired. “We are deeply shocked and saddened by the reported incident at our store in Wrightsville, Georgia,” read the statement, “And have expressed our sincere apologies to the child’s family.”
Investigators have not yet released the video, but the boy’s family told WMAZ Macon over the weekend it shows a “beating,” not a spanking.
“It was more or less a beating than a spanking the way she was hitting him,” said Jody Ivey, the father of 8 year old Logan Ivey. “I don’t know how to explain it, and I don’t want to think about it.”
Logan said it was very painful.
“I felt like I had five needles sticking in me; it really hurt, I was screaming ‘Mama,’” he said. “And I was crying real bad because she [the clerk] had actually hurt me…when she stopped whipping me my pants were actually a little bit warm.”
Wrightsville Police Chief Paul Sterling said Logan was running around in the store and got into a confrontation with Bell, 39. Bell told investigators that Logan threw a cookie at her and that’s when she removed her belt, chased the boy down and spanked him behind the counter.
“It felt real real painful; nobody should have that kind of torture to them,” Logan said. “It really hurts.”
The boy’s mother and sister, who were also in the store, did not witness the spanking, according to the chief.
The chief said Bell was immediately arrested and admitted to investigators what she did.
Bell was taken to jail and bonded out Friday morning.
Dollar General’s full statement:
“Dollar General strives to provide a safe and welcoming place for our customers to shop. We are deeply shocked and saddened by the reported incident at our store in Wrightsville, Ga and have expressed our sincere apologies to the child’s family. This incident is contrary to our core values of serving our customers and communities and does not reflect the commitment of our nearly 93,000 employees to treat everyone who enters our stores with kindness and respect. The type of behavior described in this incident is unacceptable, and the person responsible is no longer employed by Dollar General.”

Source-NBC11

N.C. Man accused of sex crimes involving children; bond set at more than $5 million www.privateofficer.com

PENDER COUNTY, NC Jan 19 2013– A Pender County man was arrested and charged Friday in connection to sex offenses involving children.
According to Det. Sgt. John Leatherwood with the Pender County Sheriff’s Office, Danny Strickland faces the following charges:

-First degree statutory sex offense of a child – 9 counts

-Indecent liberties with a child – 9 counts

-Crime against nature – 9 counts

Previously, Strickland was charged with two counts of first degree statutory sex offense of a child and two counts of indecent liberties with a child.
However, due to the added charges involving a different victim, Strickland’s bond has been set at $5,150,000.

Prior to the additional charges, it had been set at $250,000.
Source- WECT

New Orleans woman teaches 8-year-old son how to break into house www.privateofficer.com

New Orleans LA Jan 16 2013 The NOPD last week arrested a 32-year-old woman accused of teaching her 8-year-old son how to break into a house on the West Bank, according to an arrest warrant issued by the New Orleans Police Department. Tajhma Deary was booked into the Orleans Parish jail on Jan. 9 on charges of attempted simple burglary, criminal damage to property and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
According to the warrant, Deary and her son were caught on surveillance video trying to break in to a house in the 3900 block of Inwood Avenue on Nov. 16 about 11:20 a.m. The victim told police he recognized Deary because she had dated his son, though the couple had broken up in March 2012.
The video shows the “minor place his right arm inside the mail slot to make several attempts at unlocking the locks on the door while the female (Deary) stands nearby offering assistance to the minor,” the warrant says.

After failing to open the front door, Deary allegedly hopped a 6-foot-tall wrought iron fence to gain access to the side of the house, where she removed a screen from a window. She tried to lift the window, but failed because it was locked, the warrant says.
Deary then dismantled one of the victim’s video surveillance cameras off the exterior of the house, the warrant says. The pair then ran away.

source-nola.com

Shoplifting mother bites security officer, leaves child behind during escape www.privateofficer.com

STOCKTON CA Jan 16 2103 – A Stockton mother is on the run, accused of stealing from a store and stuffing the stolen goods into a baby stroller. And police say she did it with her three daughters in tow.
In order to make a quick getaway, investigators say not only did 44-year-old Bobbie Pritz bite a security officer, but she got behind the wheel of her van and ran another one over.
“It’s sad, it’s really sad,” said shopper Victoria Gomez.
Stockton police say Pritz took her toddler and 16-year-old daughter into JC Penney to steal clothes and perfume, using the child’s stroller to hide the merchandise.
“Oh my, she needs to be taken to jail,” shopper Sameisha Hardy said.
While Pritz was inside stealing, she left her 13-year-old daughter in the car, say police. As Pritz and her daughters left the store, three security guards walked up, and that’s when she got violent.

“She fought all three of them, biting one of them; and then, when she got into her car, she actually ran one over,” said Stockton Police Department spokesman Joe Silva.
Fortunately, the security guard who was run over only suffered minor injuries.
“Lucky. I mean, yesterday’s incident could have turned very deadly based on her actions, and [he] was very fortunate,” said Silva.
Investigators say Pritz got away with her toddler and 13-year-old daughter in the car, but her 16-year-old was left at the scene.
“I don’t’ know what to say; that’s just outrageous,” said Hardy.
It’s an outrageous display of a mother setting the wrong example in front her own children.
“It’s really sad because you’re using your kids to benefit yourself,” said Gomez. “It’s pretty sad because they’re innocent, and you’re teaching them that something like that is OK, and it’s not.”
Investigators arrested the 16-year-old. She was cited and released over to her grandmother.
Pritz and her youngest daughter are still on the run, but are not believed to be in danger. Her 13-year-old daughter is also with her grandmother, we’re told.

Source:CBS13

$1 million bond set for Alabama husband, wife accused of sexually abusing, photographing 7-year-old www.privateofficer.com

FLORENCE AL Jan 11 2013 — The husband of a Lauderdale County woman accused of having nude photos of a 7-year-old girl on her computer has been charged in connection with the production of the photos and both are jailed under $1 million bonds each for additional sexual-related charges, officials said.
Matthew David Ayers, 41, 1801 Lauderdale 298, Florence, is charged with possession of child pornography, production of child pornography, first-degree sodomy, first-degree rape, first-degree sexual abuse and wilful sexual abuse of a child under 12, said Richard Richey, an investigator with the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s office.
Richey said Matthew Ayers was arrested late this afternoon.
Department officials said the arrest was made after a forensics expert found a sexually-suggestive photo of Ayers, his wife and the girl on a electronic device taken from their residence last week.
Patricia Allana Edmon Ayers, 32, same address, was charged Jan. 4 with five counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of production of child pornography after five nude photos of the child was found on her computer, authorities said.
Richey said this afternoon that Patricia Ayers is now facing the additional charges of first-degree sodomy, first-degree rape, first-degree sexual abuse and wilful sexual abuse of a child under 12.
Both are being held in the Lauderdale County Detention Center. Patricia Ayers initially was jailed on bail of $100,000.

Source: The TimesDaily

Louisville man arrested for leaving 9-month-old son in vehicle www.privateofficer.com

Louisville KY Jan 4 2013 A 30-year-old Louisville man was arrested on New Year’s Eve for leaving his 9-month-old son in his car while the man was in a store.
The arrest report for Ronald Hardesty Jr., of the 9800 block of Caven Avenue, says the child was alone in the car for at least nine minutes. The vehicle was not running and the temperature outside was 37 degrees.
A passing officer spotted the infant and waited nine minutes until Hardesty walked out of Action Cards at 8302 Preston Highway after selling a gift card, the report says. Hardesty is charged with endangering the welfare of a minor and wanton endangerment. The child was released to a family member.

Source-Louisville Courier-Journal

Woman arrested for shoplifting while three kids were with her www.privateofficer.com

Ames IA Dec 31 2012 A woman took her three children, two daughters and her son to J.C. Penney’s and ended up getting arrested for shoplifting. The woman got caught stealing $39 at the store.
Melissa Rose Sego from Ames, Iowa tried to stuff $39 worth of merchandise in her purse. As she and her children attempted to leave the store Sego got into an altercation with a loss prevention agent.
Sego tried to force her way out of the store and shoved the agent into a wall. The agent is said to have suffered minor pain and injury.
According to the police report, the loss prevention department stated they witnessed Sego take her kids and several items into a dressing room. When she emerged from the dressing room, she only had her kids with her.
The dressing room was checked for the merchandise however, there weren’t any items in the room. The police officers stated that Sego also forced her children to participate in the shoplifting, however her son wasn’t involved.
Sego’s daughters were charged with fifth degree theft and transported to a juvenile facility.
Sego was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and aggravated theft and transported to the Story County Jail. Sego is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 7.

Source-Examiner

Mother arrested fleeing shoplifting incident swinging child www.privateofficer.com

SPARTANBURG, SC Dec 26 2012
A Spartanburg woman faces charges of child neglect and shoplifting after officers said she tried to shoplift items from a local Walmart, and then allegedly put her child’s life in danger.
The Spartanburg Public Safety Department said 20-year-old Kahliah Martin had placed two boxes of diapers and various electronics into her buggy, and proceeded past the cash registers and to the exit without paying for the merchandise.
Officers said the two loss prevention associates approached Martin, who ran out the exit into the parking lot, while carrying her 4-month-old daughter.
The report from SPSD said as Martin was running out, she was nearly struck by two vehicles in the parking lot, and “ran through the parking lot weaving in and out of cars swinging her daughter,” before security officers subdued her, and escorted her back inside the store, before police arrived and arrested her.
Associates were initially tipped off to Martin because of a prior shoplifting incident, officials said.
Martin’s daughter has been placed into protective custody.

Source:FOXCarolina

School Employee Charged with Torturing a Child www.privateofficer.com

PENSACOLA, Florida Dec 24 2012
What Dorothea Vega is accused of doing sounds like something from a horror movie. “There was an alarm system on the victims room where if the victim came out of the room the alarm went off and was not allowed to be out of the room except for doing chores.”
The victim, a middle school student, told a school resource officer she was beaten with toilet plungers, brooms, sticks, shoes, rulers, wooden spoons and open and closed fists. “The child was not allowed to bathe or eat.”
According to deputy Matt Baxter the young girl would use the school restroom to clean-up for school. “The child was forced to take prescription medication in order to try and control her behavior.”
Vega worked for the the Escambia county school system according to superintendent Malcolm Thomas. “She worked week to week. Just a few hours each week. She was not a full time employee at all.”
Vega was immediately suspended from her position at Ensley Elementary School. She had only worked here for about a hear and a half trying to get parents more involved in school activities.
“She will not report to work until these matters are cleared,” says Thomas. “If she is found guilty of this, these are disqualifying offenses and we don’t allow people in Florida to work who are guilty of these offenses.”
Vega is charged with torturing a child, battery and cruelty to a child. She remains in the Escambia county jail.
For at least four months the victim endured what investigators called “deplorable” conditions. Tonight she is in protective custody.

Source:WKRG

Jefferson County man charged with waterboarding children www.privateofficer.com

Jefferson County MT Dec 23 2012 William Province, of Jefferson County, has been charged with several felonies for allegedly waterboarding four young children, two of whom were his own.
Province, 42, was arrested late Tuesday night as he got off an airplane in Helena from a trip to Alaska.
According to the complaint, the boys, ages 9 and up, were subjected to a water-torture technique of a type used in the military. It simulates the effects of drowning.
The incident took place over about an hour’s time at the man’s home in the Wickes area.
The affidavit says Province meant it as a “learning experience.”
The affidavit goes on to say that while Province was in the process of waterboarding the fourth child, his girlfriend walked in and tried to stop him. He then allegedly held her arm behind her back so tight that she received a broken wrist and two broken fingers.
Province was charged with three counts of assault on a minor, one count of intimidation, one count of felony partner/family member assault, and misdemeanor assault.
He is currently the Jefferson County jail on a $200,000 bond.
His arraignment will be scheduled some time in January.

Source:KLFX

Jeffersontown police say woman abandoned child at Sam’s Club www.privateofficer.com

Jeffersontown KY Nov 23 2012 Police arrested a woman Tuesday they said abandoned her 6-year-old daughter at a Sam’s Club inJeffersontown.

Fengshan Huang, 39, of the 9800 block of Oakshire Drive inJeffersontown, faces a charge of felony wanton endangerment.

Witnesses told police they found Huang’s 6-year-old child alone in an aisle, according to her arrest report. When they brought the child to Huang, she told them, “Take her, call 911.”

As Huang left the store, her child followed, running through traffic in the parking lot.

That’s when store officials intervened, asking Huang to take her child. According to her arrest report, she told them, “I don’t want her anymore.”

Maj. Steve Griffin of the Jeffersontown Police Department said police also found a 13-year-old boy left alone at Huang’s home. Police could not find a family member to release the children to, so the children were taken to the Home of the Innocents, he said.

Heather Webb, manager of the condominium complex where Huang lived, said Huang moved in two or three weeks ago with her two children.

Webb did not believe anyone else lived with them, although she said a friend had called to check on Huang to make sure she was settled.

“She seemed like a nice woman,” said Webb, who added she didn’t get to know Huang well.

Nobody answered the door at Huang’s address Wednesday.

Huang appeared at her arraignment Wednesday without a lawyer and pleaded not guilty, according to court records.

Mark Scott, spokesman for Sam’s Club, turned down a request to interview the employees who helped the child, citing the ongoing police investigation.

“We are proud of our associates and the quick action they took to not only realize the seriousness of what was occurring, but to step in and do what they could to help this young child,” he said.

source-courier-journal.com

Security detains man leaving child at Chicago Greyhound station www.privateofficer.com

Chicago IL Nov 19 2012  Police arrested a 31-year-old Wisconin man after he tried to leave his 3-year-old son with strangers at the Greyhound bus station in the West Loop late Saturday.

Witnesses told police Joseph Corter was intoxicated in the 600 block of West Harrison Street, by the Greyhound bus terminal, police News Affairs Officer Veejay Zala said. Corter was trying to get people to take his son, police said.

When he was unable to find anyone to take the boy, Corter “then tried to leave the area without his son,” Zala said. He was then stopped and held by a security guard, who kept him there untilChicago police officers arrived.

Corter was charged with a misdemeanor child endangerment charge.

The child was not hurt, but is now in the custody of DCFS, agency spokesman Jimmie Whitelow said. DCFS is investigating allegations of neglect against the father. The agency has had no prior contact with the family, Whitelow said.

Source: http://www.nbcchicago.com

Kenner police arrest three women for leaving baby and dog locked in car www.privateofficer.com

 

Kenner LA Nov 13 2012  Police arrested three women Nov. 8 after leaving a 10-month-old baby and a dog inside a locked car with the window partially rolled down while they shopped at the Walmart at 300 W. Esplanade Ave. An off-duty Kenner officer working a security detail was flagged down by a concerned citizen at around 8 p.m. who reported hearing a child crying from inside a locked vehicle.

Officers located the mother, Quija Hawkins, 18, the grandmother, Lisa Hawkins, 38, and the infants’ aunt, Troynisha Hawkins, 17, inside the store. The women told the officers they didn’t want to wake the baby who was sleeping in a child safety seat. So after making sure the doors were locked and the window was partially opened, they left the infant inside the car with their dog for approximately 15 to 30 minutes while they shopped.

Officers noted that at the time of incident the New Orleans International Airport reported that it was 53 degrees outside. A review of surveillance cameras revealed the Hawkins were inside the store for over 45 minutes before they were located.

The Hawkins, who told officers they live at 6320 Riverside Dr. in Metairie, were arrested and charged with child desertion. The Office of Community Services and Child Protection were notified of the incident, and the infant was placed with a second grandmother who arrived on scene. The City of Kenner Humane Department took custody of the dog.

The women were released Nov. 9 from the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center on a $1,000 commercial bond each.

source-nola.com

Bronx dad drowns 5-year-old son, feeds daughter rat poison www.privateofficer.com

 

Bronx NY Nov 9 2012 A Bronx dad drowned his 5-year-old son in bathtub — and then fed his 7-year-old daughter rat poison, police sources said Wednesday.

Leonardo Espinal was babysitting the kids at his stepmother’s University Heights apartment when he called their mom, from whom he was estranged, and threatened to kill himself, sources said.

The alarmed mother, Rosaura Abreu, called Espinal’s stepmom, who found the daughter sleeping in her vomit on a couch and the suspect locked in a bathroom with the boy, police said.

Cops broke down the door and found Espinal with his son Stewart, who was undressed and unconscious, in his arms, sources said.

The kids’ mom arrived at the apartment – just as the cops made the heartbreaking discovery.

“Leo killed my baby,” she later told family friend Francisco Medrano.

Espinal and Abreu had been together for about a decade before she kicked him out of theirWalton St. apartment about 15 days ago, said Medrano, 42.

“I imagine that the only reason why he would do something like that is for revenge over the separation,” Medrano added.

Little Stewart and his sister Mia were rushed to Saint Barnabas Hospital, where Stewart died at 2:50 a.m. Wednesday. His sister survived.

Espinal, 47, was dragged screaming and dressed in long underwear out of his stepmother’s W. 179th St. building, neighbors said. He was taken to Bronx Lebanon Hospital for observation and charges against him were pending.

“The police officers went into the building and came out carrying the little boy with the mother running along side him, screaming in Spanish,” said neighbor Tony Goff, 60. “The boy was limp, the officer was doing CPR, chest compressions on him.”

The stepmother’s grandsons, 6 and 10, were also inside the apartment but they were not harmed, sources said. Those two boys aren’t related to Espinal.

Police sources said Abreu had taken up with another man, but friends wouldn’t confirm that account.

The domestic drama turned deadly after Espinal picked up the kids up at 10 a.m. Tuesday to babysit them. Espinal was supposed to return them to Abreu at midnight, but he called and asked if they could spend the night and she agreed. Forty minutes later, Espinal called and threatened to commit suicide, sources said.

Neighbors in the building reported hearing a scream shortly before police arrived.

Source-ny post

Secret Service officer assigned to Vice President arrested for child molestation www.privateofficer.com

 

 Prince William County VA Oct 27 2012 A Secret Service officer assigned to Vice President Joe Biden’s residence was arrested Monday for allegedly sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in his custody Fox News reported Wednesday.

Hector Reynaldo Cuellar of Woodbridge, Va., was charged with three counts of aggravated sexual battery and three counts of taking indecent liberties with a child by a custodian, according to a daily incident report released by the Prince William County Police Department. He is being held without bond.

“The investigation revealed that the 14-year-old female victim was sexually assaulted by the accused family member on separate occasions between August and October of 2012,” according to the Prince William County Police Department’s daily incident report.

There is no mention of his employment with the Secret Service in the police report, but sources told FoxNews.com that Cuellar, 51, is a uniformed division officer assigned to the vice president’s residence in Washington, D.C.

In response to FoxNews.com’s request for comment, Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said via email:

“We are aware of the arrest of this employee. He has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of judicial action. Any other questions should be referred to the PrinceWilliam County police.”

When asked how long Cuellar has been with the Secret Service, Donovan told FoxNews.com, “We aren’t providing any further information at this point.”

Sources also said that on Tuesday afternoon, the Secret Service’s Security Clearance Division sent around a “Do Not Admit” email notification throughout the agency for Hector Cuellar.

Police were first notified on Sunday, according to the police incident report. “On October 21st, detectives from the Special Victim Unit received a report of a sexual assault, reported to have occurred in the Woodbridge area of Prince William County,” the report says.

Cuellar was arrested the next day following a police investigation.

Source-FOX News