Daycare used Magic Eraser on kids’ faces, caused chemical burns
Parents in Denver are searching for answers after their children received chemical burns at a daycare.
The parents believe a teacher is responsible for the chemical burns caused by an incident involving a magic eraser in May.
“The two teachers came up to me when I picked him up and said, ‘your son and another boy got into a marker fight.’ And immediately my son said ‘Mommy my throat hurts,” parent Caitlin Sims said.
Sims was the first parent to be notified about her child’s injuries.
“The teacher said, ‘oh, I’m so sorry. I must have been scrubbing you too hard when I cleaned you,” Sims said.
Joel and Stacy Dant did not find out about what happened to their son until hours later.
“It just looked red, like just redness was all. And then the next day was whenever it like really started to show,” Stacey said.
Both sets of parents returned days later to review surveillance video.
“It was the toughest thing that my wife and I have ever seen,” parent Josh Sims said.
They say the scabs on both of the boys’ faces does not show the real trauma.
“Pushing her thumb into his neck, ripped him backwards and pulled him over backwards, to the extent that he buckled,” Josh said.
The Dants and Sims’ say they started getting different stories from the school about what happened and what could be done.
“Frankly, we expected the school to advocate a little bit more for us,” Josh said.
Online records showed the school is under probation, but does not show any injuries or complaints in the past three years.
Child protective services told the Sims’ it could be a few more weeks before a report is ready.
The lawsuit filed is against the school, its parent company, and the teacher involved.
A statement from the school’s company says it has taken the appropriate steps and will continue their investigation.
Man allegedly strangled wife to save her from going to jail over new car debt
A northeast Houston man told police he murdered his wife because he did not want her to go to jail if she could not pay for her new car.
Francisco Olazaran, 67, is charged with the murder of his wife, Maria Olazaran, 63. The medical examiner ruled she died from manual strangulation.
According to Houston police, on the morning of July 4, when the city was getting hammered by rain, Francisco walked into Sand Dollar Thrift Store on Harrisburg in east Houston and said his wife, who was sitting in the car, had just been choked and robbed by three men.
An employee called for help. Police say Francisco repeated that same story to them and then changed it.
According to court documents, he said his wife had just traded in an older car for a newer one. He didn’t have a job. Maria, he said, didn’t make much money working for Walmart, and he was worried she could not afford the car payments.
“The defendant stated that morning he killed the complainant because he did not want her to go to jail over the debt,” a prosecutor read from documents during Francisco’s first court appearance on July 5. “He stated that he did not want her to go to jail and that he preferred for her to die.”
An investigator told Eyewitness News the couple had been married for many years. The victim, a mother and grandmother, was pronounced dead at the hospital. Francisco’s charges were upgraded to murder on Saturday.
He is being held in jail on an $80,000 bond and, as a Mexican National who has lived in the United States for 15 years, must surrender his passport if he posts it.
Francisco is expected in court on Tuesday.
via: http://abc7chicago.com/man-allegedly-strangled-wife-to-save-her-from-going-to-jail/3738764/
Day care worker caught on video abusing children
A day care worker in Arkansas was arrested after she was caught on camera aggressively handling two young children, police said.
McKenzie Howell, 19, of Mabelvale, was arrested Monday on two felony counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a minor after a caller told police her 21-month-old son was abused on June 29 at Kid’s Academy in Bryant, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports.
Howell, a class instructor at the facility, was arrested after investigators spoke with witnesses and reviewed footage from security cameras at the location. A woman who also works at the day care said she reviewed portions of video surveillance that showed her son being abused before she contacted the Child Abuse Hotline, which referred her to police.
The woman told police that Howell grabbed her son “aggressively off the ground” before trying to put him in a chair near a wall. But Howell dropped the boy, causing his head to apparently hit a wall before falling to the floor, according to a police report.
Howell later picked the boy up again and put him in a chair. No bruises or other marks were found on his body, police said.
Another colleague at the facility said she also saw Howell push another girl into a wall and forcefully pull the child’s arm.
The second colleague who witnessed Howell’s alleged abuse then told the facility’s manager of the incidents. Howell, who had been previously warned not to be “verbally aggressive” with the children, was then sent home and told not to return until further notice, police said.
Video obtained by KATV shows an employee at the day care facility sitting on a classroom floor in front of six young children when a worker identified by police as Howell is seen dragging a girl on the floor by the legs in front of her.
“This next part, I’m not going to lie, is hard to watch,” Bryant Police Department Sgt. Todd Crowson told the station. “You know, she just looked angry in the video. I’m not real sure why.”
Howell is also seen in other footage picking up a girl by the shoulders and throwing her into a chair. In another instance, Howell grabbed a girl by her shoulders and pushed her back against a wall while she sat on the floor, causing the toddler to immediately grab her shoulder and cry, the video shows.
“Kids can be tough to deal with at times, but you just got to have the right temperament for that job and some people, that type of job is not for them,” Crowson said. “If you’re a worker who works around kids and you feel like you’re having a bad day, maybe you should take a day off.”
At least one child has been removed from the facility since Howell’s arrest, KATV reports. She has since been released from custody at a jail in Saline County after posting $5,000 bond, jail records show.
Howell’s arrest is the latest complaint in connection with the day care facility. In January, state officials launched an investigation regarding its staff-to-child ratio, the Democrat-Gazette reported. An internal report in January showed that day care officials fired an employee for not being able to account for all of the children in her care after two children reportedly ran out when a parent opened a door, according to the newspaper.
via: https://nypost.com/2018/07/10/day-care-worker-caught-on-video-abusing-children/
Woman made up rape claim because date wouldn’t drive her home
CLYDE, N.Y. — Police in upstate New York say a woman falsely accused someone of rape for not giving her a ride home.
The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office says 27-year-old Jessica Gallagher of Clyde was charged Sunday with false reporting of a crime. Deputies say Gallagher told police she was abducted by a man she met on a dating app before being blindfolded and raped.
Investigators say Gallagher later admitted she fabricated the story because she was angry at the man for refusing to give her a ride home.
Gallagher was arraigned and is being held Tuesday in the county jail. She’s scheduled to return to court on July 18. It couldn’t immediately be determined if she has a lawyer who could comment on the charges.
via: https://nypost.com/2018/07/10/woman-made-up-rape-claim-because-date-wouldnt-drive-her-home-cops/
Teen stabs grandmother while she slept, steals $23
ALBION, N.Y. — Police say a 17-year-old western New York boy broke into his grandmother’s house and stabbed her while she was sleeping.
The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office says Albion resident Brandon Foster went into his grandmother’s house through a window just before midnight Sunday. Police say Foster then went into her bedroom and stabbed her while she slept.
She fought him off and was able to get away. Officials say Foster stole $23 and his grandmother’s phone before fleeing. He was found at about 6 a.m. Monday and charged with attempted murder and first-degree assault.
The grandmother is recovering at a hospital.
Authorities say mental health issues and a previous confrontation between the two may have played a role in the attack.
The teen is being held in the county jail. The name of his lawyer wasn’t immediately available.
via: https://nypost.com/2018/07/10/teen-stabs-grandmother-while-she-slept-steals-23-cops/
3 Georgia Workers Accused of Making Snapchat Video Titled ‘The End’ While in Room With Dying Stroke Victim
Police arrested three employees of a Georgia assisted living facility after they allegedly made a Snapchat video titled “The End” while in a room with a dying stroke victim, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Nineteen-year-old Lizeth Jocelyn Cervantes Ramirez, 21-year-old Jorden Lanah Bruce and 21-year-old Mya Janai Moss all face charges of exploiting an elderly and disabled person, the newspaper reported.
The three women, who were employees of Bentley Senior Living in Jefferson, were supposed to be monitoring a 76-year-old woman until a hospice worker showed up. Instead, they ignored her and recorded the Snapchat story, according to the paper, in which the victim does not appear.
“One of them was smoking a vape pen. They were using profanities and (making obscene hand gestures) at the camera,” a Jefferson Police Department detective told Atlanta station WSB-TV.
Another Bentley employee noticed what was happening and reported the trio, police said, leading to their June 22 arrest.
Moss and Bruce were both released on bond, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement took custody of Ramirez.
Missing baby survives 9 hours buried in woods
MISSOULA, Mont. — A 5-month-old infant who miraculously survived more than nine hours being buried under a pile of sticks and debris in the woods of western Montana suffered only minor injuries despite wearing wet and soiled clothes in cold weather, authorities said Monday.
The baby boy is otherwise in good condition, authorities said.
Missoula County Sheriff’s deputies were called about 8 p.m. Saturday about a man threatening people in the Lolo Hot Springs area of the Lolo National Forest. Deputies apprehended the man, who indicated that a baby was buried somewhere in the woods.
The sheriff’s office hastily put together a search crew of federal, state and local officials that combed the forest outside the hot springs for six hours before a deputy heard a baby’s cry at about 2:30 a.m. Sunday.
He found the baby face-down under the pile of sticks and debris, dressed only in a wet and soiled onesie in the 46-degree weather.
“He suffered some minor scrapes and bruising but overall is in good health,” sheriff’s spokeswoman Brenda Bassett said in a statement Monday.
The baby was taken to a hospital. Custody of the child has been referred to the state Division of Child and Family Services, whose spokesman, Chuck Council, did not immediately return a call for comment on Monday.
Francis Crowley, 32, was being held on $50,000 bail on a charge of criminal endangerment. Additional charges will follow, the sheriff’s office said in a statement Sunday.
“For all of us at the sheriff’s office, this is what we call a miracle,” the statement said. “For the officers who were present for this event, it’s especially hard knowing what this small baby endured in the last 24 hours.”
The nature of Crowley’s relationship to the baby was not immediately clear. There was no information on whether Crowley had an attorney.
via: https://nypost.com/2018/07/09/missing-baby-survives-9-hours-buried-in-woods/
Man who posed as high school athlete accused of relationship with teen
A 25-year-old Texas man who allegedly posed as a high school student is accused of kissing and touching a teen girl and propositioning her for sex before he was caught, police said.
Sidney Bouvier Gilstrap-Portley, 25, was charged Friday with indecency with a child. He’s accused of dating a 14-year-old girl while posing as a 17-year-old boy at Hillcrest High School. The girl was a freshman at the high school and met Gilstrap-Portley through a friend, the Dallas Morning-News reported, citing an arrest affidavit.
The girl knew Gilstrap-Portley under the name Rashaun Richardson, police said. A mutual friend told Gilstrap-Portley she was a year older than him and liked him, which led to the two exchanging Snapchat information, according to the Morning-News.
The relationship eventually progressed and Gilstrap-Portley asked the teen to kiss him and she did, the newspaper reported, citing the affidavit. The man allegedly then took the teen and her nephew to a park. He reportedly stayed in a car with the girl, and is accused of kissing her and touching her breasts over her clothing.
Gilstrap-Portley asked the girl to have sex, but she declined, the newspaper reported.
The mother of the 14-year-old girl told FOX4 News in May her daughter told her Gilstrap-Portley kissed and touched her but didn’t have a sexual relationship with her.
“He was popular. A lot of the girls liked him and he was giving her attention, though,” the mother told the station.
The woman never suspected Gilstrap-Portley of posing as a younger man until a detective approached her in May about the possibility of him wanting to relive his high school athletic career, she told the Morning-News
Gilstrap-Portley was arrested in May and charged with felony tampering with government documents for filing false enrollment records. He graduated from North Mesquite High School in 2011.
Grandmother dependent on oxygen tank dies after PSE&G cuts off power to her home
NEWARK, N.J. — A New Jersey grandmother has died after the electricity company cut power to her house, despite her paying $500 to her account only days before.
Desiree Washington says her 68-year-old mother Linda Daniels relied on an electric-powered oxygen tank to breathe, and she died of heart failure on July 5, hours after Public Service Enterprise Group (PSE&G) turned off the electricity at her Newark home.
Washington said the temperature in her mother’s Shephard Avenue home likely rose to well over 100 degrees the day the power was turned off and it aggravated her mother’s heart condition.
Washington said $500 was paid to the company two days before, and her family had notified the company of her mother’s medical issues.
PSE&G said they cut off power because of a lack of payments over several months.
The company said they were unaware of Daniels’ medical needs, and they are reviewing their records.
Newark Police are investigating.
Daniels is survived by two children, five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. She worked for the Newark Board of Education for more than 20 years and has lived in Newark for more than 45 years.
Her family said Daniels is locally famous for her secret pecan cake recipe and her passion for serving others and the community.
A memorial fund has been set up to help Daniels’ family with funeral expenses.
In a statement to PIX11 News, PSE&G said:
“Everyone at PSE&G is saddened by this terrible tragedy and we extend our sincere condolences to the family.
“While there will be a complete investigation of this matter, our records indicate that this account was severely in arrears and we made at least 15 attempts to notify the customer since January, 2018, including two visits to the residence prior to the disconnection.
“We have reviewed our records dating back to 2016 and there is no indication by the customer of a medical condition in the home prior to disconnection.
“When notified of a medical situation, PSE&G carefully follows all procedures and regulations to ensure the safety of the customer. We never would have disconnected service had we been informed of the circumstances.
“When we were contacted after service had been disconnected and were notified that the customer had medical issues, we began the process to restore service.
“We are carefully reviewing everything that happened around this terrible incident. In the meantime, we urge customers who are having trouble paying their bills, and especially those with a medical condition, to contact PSE&G right away.”
Woman charged in death of dog left for 7 hours in hot car at Walmart
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ala. — An Alabama woman faces a felony animal cruelty charge after her dog died Wednesday, hours after it was locked inside a parked car amid brutal heat.
Stephanie Shae Thomas, 34, of Trussville, was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals Friday. Police say she left her dog in a Mercedes for more than seven hours on Independence Day at a Trussville Walmart.
Multiple shoppers and bystanders tried to open the car, according to a video by Stacey Guthrie.
Officers arrived at the scene after reports of a dog inside a car with the engine not on, according to Trussville Police Department.
Police were forced to break the window after an attempt to locate the driver failed. Cellphone video shows officers pulling the dog’s tan, limp body from the silver vehicle as shaken bystanders exclaim “Oh my God,” and “Come on, puppy.”
Police tried to resuscitate the animal at the scene, but weren’t successful.
Thomas eventually came out of the store around 12 p.m., according to Trussville police. She had parked the car at 4 a.m. and told officers she lost track of time.
Officers initially released Thomas, but, following an investigation, later arrested the 34-year-old on July 5.
Thomas is now being held in the Jefferson County Jail. Her bond is set at $25,000.
via: https://pix11.com/2018/07/06/woman-charged-in-death-of-dog-left-for-7-hours-in-hot-car-at-walmart/