Articles Posted in Child Abuse

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A South Dakota woman entered a plea of guilty on Friday to felony child abuse and neglect of two of her children. Darcel Featherman allegedly left her daughters, age 2 and 3, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in the care of her mother and sister. The children were discovered by tribal police emaciated and near death.

Featherman signed a factual basis statement claiming she was aware that her mother and sister suffer from addiction and use of methamphetamine and alcohol and they would be unlikely to provide proper care for the children. When officers recovered the little girls they were lying on the floor of their grandmother’s home covered in blankets, lethargic and weighing only thirteen pounds. It was also discovered that due to chronic non-accidental trauma to her brain, the three-year-old child had lost her eyesight.

Featherman is the mother to eight children total, six of whom she does not have legal custody. Her daughters were placed into the care of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, and they have put on weight since their relocation.

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A New Jersey judge was scolded by his peers for ruling that an Essex County mom was guilty of child abuse and neglect because she occasionally smoked marijuana.

On Thursday the Essex County mother was cleared of her charges almost three years after the birth of her son, who was born with some marijuana in his system because the mom smoked occasionally during her pregnancy to help with her appetite and anxiety.

After giving birth, the hospital notified Child Protection. As a result of the report, the agency was supervising her parenting of the children and required that she attend drug counseling.

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The parents of an 8 year old boy have been charged with child endangerment after their son survived an overdose of heroin last month, according to police.

On January 11th the police responded to a call of a child not breathing at a home in a suburb of southwest Cleveland, Ohio. They found the boy unresponsive in the living room with his father doing chest compressions on him. The boy was transported to the hospital after an officer found a pulse. The parents, Charles Dowdy and Danielle Simko are suspected of narcotics use after drugs and syringes were found on the property, the police report stated.

The father had told police that he and the mother were in bed with their son when he noticed that the child’s lips were turning blue.

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Timothy Randall Korr, 25, of Baltimore was employed as a tutor of the Baltimore Curriculum Project. While tutoring at City Springs Elementary School, Korr allegedly told police he removed Trayvon Grayson a seven-year old, from the class for misbehaving.

The boy then suffered a fractured jaw and missing teeth. According to reports Korr said the boy lost his footing and “hit himself” on the wall. Trayvon’s mother didn’t believe his story. “He can’t throw himself into wall and fracture his jaw and lose his teeth. He’s only 7 years old. He’s so small…” she said

Police examined the boy at a local hospital, where he was diagnosed with major head trauma. Korr was charged with first and second degree child abuse, first and second degree assault, reckless endangerment and neglect of a minor.

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A man in Pennsylvania was charged with sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault, corruption of minors and unlawful contact with a minor after he allegedly fathered two children with a teen-aged girl who was given to him as a gift by her parents.

12 girls were allegedly found living in 51-year old Lee Kaplan’s home. Their ages ranged from 6 months to 18 years old. Police claim that the 18-year old was the mother of a 3-year old and a 6-month old child.

The girl’s father, Daniel Stoltzfus, is reported to have told officers that he and his wife Savilla, gave their daughter as a gift to Kaplan for helping them out of a “financial ruin” after “researching the legality of it on the internet.” According to police, Stoltzfus’ daughter was 14 when she got pregnant the first time and he was aware of her pregnancy.

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A Pennsylvania man, Andre Price, has been charged with child endangerment and the mother of his children has been charged with murder after she sent him angry text messages threatening to kill the children and a lifeless video of one child and he failed to respond.

The woman allegedly believed that Price wasn’t coming home so that he could be with another woman. In dozens of text messages she said “your kids ain’t safe here,” “come get them I don’t want them here” and “answer me or I am going to jail for child endangerment”. About an hour into the rant the woman allegedly sent a text message saying “I’m killing them,” followed by a laughing emoji with tears coming from its eyes. She then sent a lifeless video of the couple’s son.

The woman herself eventually called 911. Police found the boy dead on an air mattress. The woman has been charged with murder and child endangerment for endangering the life of the boys younger sister, who was present during the incident.

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It is common for children to be placed in therapy when sexual abuse is either suspected or alleged. In fact, police departments, social workers and child abuse investigators will frequently refer cases to child therapists that they believe will assist with disclosure or treatment of sexual abuse.

It is critical that criminal defense attorneys, representing clients in molestation or sexual abuse cases, get any and all therapy records and examine the records for impeaching or exonerating evidence.

Therapists are mandated reporters under California law. If a therapist has made an official report saying that a child claimed abuse, that information will be discoverable and should simply be listed in a police report. Attorneys should issue a subpoena duces tecum or “SDT” to the therapist for all records regarding the child, including emails, notes, billing statements, photocopies of books and photographs of toys that were used as part of the therapy.

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As an Orange County criminal defense lawyer who has handled thousands of domestic violence or spousal abuse cases, I get calls daily from people who were arrested or whose significant other was arrested because neighbors heard them fighting and called the police. You do not have to be married to be charged with “spousal abuse”—it applies if you were ever in a dating relationship with the other party.

In Orange County most domestic violence or spousal abuse arrests are unwanted by either party. The concept of “pressing charges” is a myth. One does not get arrested or prosecuted based on whether the other party decides to “press charges”. What this means is that your desire that your partner NOT be arrested is largely irrelevant. In most cases the police will make an arrest if they:

  1. See any injury or
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IV DripA West Virginia woman was recently sentenced to 6 years in prison for placing fecal matter in her son’s IV drip.

Having been born with Hirschsprung’s disease, the 9 year old boy was being treated at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Ohio. Hirschsprung’s disease affects the bowels and requires many surgeries, and in this case the use of a colostomy bag.

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A 14 year old girl was arrested in South Carolina for sexual abuse involving a 3 year old.

According to the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Department , the girl was arrested after posting a video allegedly showing sexual abuse of the 3 year old. Multiple calls to the police department alerted authorities to the Facebook post which led to her arrest.

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