Daycare Driver Sentenced to 15 mo. in Death of Boy Left in Van - Milwaukee
The death of 4-month-old Jalen Knox-Perkins was a mistake. No one disputes that. It was a horrible mistake. "A human error took my grandson away," Sheryl Knox said Thursday. She was speaking at the sentencing hearing for the man responsible for that mistake: Precious "Fitz" Marney, a 44-year-old father of three.
This is the mistake Marney made:
Around 8:30 a.m. April 9, Marney picked Jalen up from home, placed him in a day care van and drove him to the Bumble Bee Learning Center, 3942 N. 76th St. That was Marney's job. It paid $10 an hour. He drove people's children to the day care. Marney grabbed his cell phone, a clipboard and his keys and got out the van, absent-mindedly leaving Jalen behind. When Marney returned to the van five hours later, Jalen was dead. (continued)
Special thanks to MissDee for Contributing this Article.
Children, Parents, Teachers Protest Alleged Spanking Daycare - Bakersfield
Children, parents and teachers protested Friday in front of a northwest Bakersfield church and school over allegations a teacher there has been using corporal punishment. The protest stems from allegations that a teacher spanked a 2-year-old boy without his parents' permission.
Brenna Moore, the mother of the 2-year-old, said, “My son told me he was spanked by
his teacher and I took my concerns to the school and to date, nothing has been done." (continued) Special thanks to NC for Contributing this Article.
Mom Testifies Dad Doped Babies in Neglect Case - Norfolk
Each day when Corey Bryant and his wife, Heaven Smith, left for work, they left their 10-month-old twin daughters home alone, strapped into infant seats.
Sometimes the couple left the babies home alone so they could go out to eat or to the movies. Bryant gave the girls cold medicine so they would sleep. That's according to testimony from Smith during Bryant's trial on charges of murder and child neglect.
One of their daughters, Miracle, died of starvation and neglect on April 8, 2008, the day Bryant returned from a three-week Navy cruise. The other girl, Heaven, also suffered from starvation and neglect and remained in the hospital months after the discovery. She survived. Smith has already pleaded guilty to murder and neglect charges and is scheduled to be sentenced next week. (continued)
9-Month-Old Had Blood-Alcohol Level Four Times the Legal Limit - Carrollton
Carrollton police found a baby sitter accused of feeding a 9-month-old boy wine, causing his blood-alcohol level to exceed four times the legal limit for an adult.
Carrollton police Sgt. Tony Johnson says authorities have found 40-year-old Tammy Demice Truitt of Carrollton. She was being sought on charges of first-degree cruelty to children and reckless conduct.
Police say Truitt was called to watch the baby and four other children ages 3 to 9 earlier this week when their mother had to leave town to care for a sick relative who has since died.
Doctors said the baby's blood-alcohol content of .33 was considered a life-threatening condition. Johnson said the baby was released from the hospital on Wednesday and is doing fine.
Special thanks to Van for Contributing the Last Two Articles.
How is it that people need to get a license to fish, but anyone (especially the parents of those poor twins) can have children?
ReplyDeleteI know its disgusting!! How can you go to work knowing your child is just strapped in a carseat.
ReplyDeleteThey should tie the mom and dad to a chair. Give them cough syrup, and let them stay that way for three weeks. No food no water no interaction. And they will die too. At least it won't be the tax payers money to foot the bill.
This story really really bothered me. How can you not want to hold two precious babies. How can you leave them in the same position day after day. Only lifting them out of the carseat to change their diapers.
ReplyDeleteI hope they get the death sentence. Because I don't think they can plead insanity???!!! To make statements, "oh feed them some water they are dehydrated". or statements how to cover them with a blanket when they are out. So no one will see the rashes all over their body.
Sick
I quite agree- these stories hurt- period. How can you forget a child in a van- thats what head counts are for. Oh, this one really hurts- how can you leave innocence babies in that type of situation- and "meds" to boot..
ReplyDeleteI am a nanny and take my job very serious. I am also married and am having a very rough time trying to have a baby of my own.
I get so upset at these parents and caregivers whom are lucky enough to have/care for our precious children. Please care and love our children. They are our future.
Or if you can't find it in your heart to love our children- then find someone who is willing to love them.
For someone like me, who wants a child to love and care for and can't- this is heartbreaking.
Why is it that the man who left the child in a daycare van was charged and all of the parents who do this were not? Does it really make a difference if you are being paid or not to do the job? The result is the same, a child is dead.
ReplyDeleteThis is the kind of stuff that drives me nuts. Here my husband and I have spent 7 years trying to have a baby and people like this are able to have babies and not even care about them.
ReplyDeleteWell, the mother of the twins did say she suffers from post-partum depression, which if severe enough can have devastating consequences. I don't believe that excuses the behavior entirely (since she knew she was unable to care for the babies, but didn't seek help), but I think it does make for an insanity defense, although as we've seen in the past, some juries will buy it and some won't.
ReplyDeleteI won't buy the insanity charge. Sounds like she was able to go to work everyday. Go out for dinner with her husband, etc. If she was really depressed how could she function at work? Sounds like they were having a jolly time. Going out on weekends, and drugging their kids with cough syrup while they had fun.
ReplyDeleteAnd why didn't she ask for help? From a co-worker, or pastor, or doctor??? No excuse to let your child starve to death.
If you know anyone naming their kids stuff like Heaven and Miracle, check in on them. There are not reasonable people involvbed.
ReplyDeleteWhere is CL WTF?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Eric's mom. Doesn't an insanity defense depend on the culprit being basically unaware of the consequences of their actions? The people with the twins knew enough to take care of themselves. And the mom knew enough to cover the babies in public to hide their crimes, and enough not to take the child to the emergency room the night before she died so that she, herself, would not get into trouble because of the apparently terrihble condition of the child's skin. Both parents need fried on that one.
ReplyDeleteThe daycare van guy. Duh. It is his JOB to go get the child. Then he gets his keys and phone but forgets that his last errand was to pick up a child?
The other people all need serious jail time.
I was going to say that there might not be sufficient evidence in the daycare spanking case...but when I read that teachers who were fired for speaking out were part of the protests, that sort of speaks volumes. Close the center and prosecute the spanker. The culprit needs a criminal record that will prevent him/her from working with children in the future. Only a moron spanks a two year old. Only a criminal spanks somebody else's two year old.
Well, I'm not sure, but she would probably claim she didn't know right from wrong and so she just did what her husband told her to do (remember, as it's reported, she called her husband and he told her to cover the babies and not take them to the ER). Remember Andrea Yates who drowned her 5 kids in the bathtub? She suffered from postpartum psychosis, and yet her husband left her at home with the kids every day, and everything was (kind of) fine (until it wasn't). Again, I'm not saying I agree, I'm just thinking it would be possible for the mom to use an insanity defense, but definitely not the dad. Either way, it's terrible, and I don't understand how nobody ever saw the kids and intervened.
ReplyDeleteOnly so much,
ReplyDeleteUnless I read wrong, the night before the baby died the dad told the mom to take her to the er, but it was the mom who was afraid to take her because of how bad her skin looked. That shows awareness of wrongdoing in my book. I htink both parents did wrong here.
I have not heard of Andrea Yates galavanting around town to the movies and dinners while her children were left drugged at home. And she was so incapable of taking care of the kids that her MIL was coming over, I believe, daily to help her. And her husband was also very much at fault in that scenario. He kept making her crank out babies she couldn't handle, and leaving her alone with them for a moment in her condition was negligent of him, IMO.
Your right MOM about Andrea Yates
ReplyDeleteI agree that her husband was to blame. She had psychological problems in the past. And her husband didn't want her to get treatment anymore, or medications.
And I thought maybe, I read the story wrong, that she wanted to get help. And he told her no. He knew she needed help that is why he asked the MIL to go over and help her.
And I think all those children were home-schooled. So she really didn't get a break in the day.
Honestly, I think a MIL is different than hiring outside help for the most part. They know they are not the nanny, so they sometimes cause more work when they come over to "visit".
THe whole leaving their twins at home drugged story.
ReplyDeleteNot excusing the guys behavior as reported. I hope his ass goes to jail. Also he is in the military so Double Jeapordy kind of does not apply. He will be charged under the UCMJ and tried under it also.
But there are some things that bug me about the story; Guy is gone three weeks at a time; he is in the Navy, which means when he is in homeport he problably spends 75-90% of his time at work or involved around work.
He sounds like 80-90% of all the young guys I know who had no immediate family nearby, over his head and thinking with the wrong end. Also attempting to sweep things under the rug in hopes they will get better.
Did he actually know his wife is suffering from post partum depression?? I have NO clue if I could actually spot it. I know what it says to look for in the "books" but most of what I have read can easily be swept and hidden under the table until it comes out and bites you. Did he actually know she was suffering? OR possibly did he think she would get better and maybe if they can just get through this and cover it up, and she gets better, all will be better. Attempting to cheer her up by taking her out. Getting her away from the children that she seems to have a problem with? He may have felt they could not go to an outside babysitter becuase of the problems. Bad decisions from an overwhelmed boy.
Either way it reads to me like she is gunning for him, in the: "I am going down, but you are coming with me manner. Besides if I throw you under the bus, I may get off with the whole I a insane plea."
May they Both rot in Jail and Hell.
Curious dad,
ReplyDeleteGood post.
When one person tries to blame thier own child abuse on an abusive, controlling spouse, isn't it typical that the person lives in ongoing fear of that other person? This guy was gone a good percentage of the time and she had every opportuinity to get help. She went to work every day when dad was out of town and chose to leave those babies strapped in car seats of her own free will. And I can't help wondering if she didn't also drug them herself. Otherwise, wouldn't a neighbor have heard incessant crying day after day and have something to say...if not before hand, at least after the fact when the child died?
And, although it is admittedly difficult to realize at times the line at which what appears to be new parent exhaustion turns into post partunm depression...the point when your babies' skin hangs from their bodies and they are covered with sores and rashes is a drop dead indicator to any normal, rational person that help is needed.