childcare gone wrong





Childcare Gone Wrong-Cautionary Tales

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Nanny Accused of Drugging Toddlers so They'd Sleep
Bail is set at $25,000 for a Westwood, NJ nanny accused of slipping a mickey to two toddlers who she was caring for. Authorities believe Jennifer Wolff laced the children's juice with an anti-allergy sedative. The children are 1 and 3. The children's mother became suspicious after she sipped the juice and thought it tasted strange. (Read More.)

Boy, 9, Charged in Baby's Beating Death
A 9-year-old boy was charged yesterday with fatally beating a baby in a New Jersey day-care facility, prosecutors said. The 9-year-old was placed under house arrest in the custody of his parents. Child-care provider Beverly Bryant, 64, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Bryant, a state-licensed child-care provider since 1995, was not in the room when the injuries occurred, prosecutors said. (Read More.)

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Toddler Rescued from Sweltering SUV
A sweating, crying 2-year-old girl was rescued today from the back seat of the locked SUV where she had been left alone in Mountain View, and police arrested the toddler's nanny when she returned to the parking lot, authorities said. (Read more.)
More: Nanny Arrested After Child Left in Car in Mountain View

Babysitter Accused of Shaking Child in her Care
A 35-year-old babysitter was arrested on charges that she shook a year-old baby boy and caused brain damage and bleeding in his eyes, police said. (Read more.)

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

15-Year-Old Babysitter Allegedly Raped Young Girl
The suspect is just 15-years-old. The disturbing allegations...her parents left the girl in the care of a 15-year-old boy, a babysitter. When the parents returned, they told police there were signs a sexual assault had taken place. The girl was apparently injured and told her parents she was in pain. She was taken to Children's Hospital to be checked out. (Read More.)

Three Year Old Falls Three Stories
A 3-year-old girl amazingly was not injured after falling through a window and plunging almost three stories at a west suburban Addison apartment building Monday night, authorities said this morning. A 16-year-old babysitter was watching the girl when she went over to the window to look outside and fell through a screen. (Read More.)

Monday, August 27, 2007

Baby Injured Friday While in the Care of a Babysitter, Police Said.
A 5-week old baby remained in the hospital Sunday, almost two days after police allege her babysitter shook her hard enough to hurt her. Riley Fritts was listed in critical condition at Penn State Hershey Medical Center on Sunday evening, according to a hospital spokeswoman. (Read More.)

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Sitter Charged After Kids Found Wandering Road
A babysitter has been arrested after two young boys were found wandering the streets of Lexington.Two bystanders spotted the 2- and 3-year-old boys just 100 yards from Interstate 75. Police said the toddlers were dirty and were found wearing only soiled diapers and t-shirts.It took police several hours to locate their parents. (Read More.)

Molester Arrest Spotlights Need to Protect Children
Phoenix police have arrested Daniel Johnson, 20, and charged him with child molestation and sexual misconduct with a minor. He's allegedly been assaulting his victims for several years. Johnson is accused of molesting two young girls over a seven year period. Police say he was even employed as a daycare worker, so, what can parents do to keep their kids safe from predators.... (Read More.)

Mom of Bitten Toddler Seeks Lighter Sentence
The 25-year-old mother whose toddler was mauled by a pit bull after being left with a drunken babysitter wants a Northampton County judge to reconsider the sentence.
Judge William F. Moran sentenced Crystal Hower of Northampton Borough on Friday to one to two years in state prison on a single charge of endangering the welfare of a child. In court papers filed Monday, defense attorney Alexander J. Karam Jr. says the sentence was "unduly harsh" and "extremely lengthy" considering Hower's lack of a prior record and attempts to overcome her drug habit.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Babysitter Sentenced for Sexual Assault
A Nebraska man was sentenced in North Dakota for sexually abusing a little girl he was babysitting. 32–year–old James Newcombe of Lexington will spend 15 years in Prison.He pled guilty to a felony sex abuse charge as part of a plea deal. (Read More.)

Twelve-Year-Old Babysitter Pleads Guilty
A 12-year-old babysitter from O'Donnell, Texas has pleaded guilty. Since she is a juvenile, we're not sure exactly what charge she pleaded guilty to.
We know the 12-year-old was originally detained after a 4-year-old girl in her care suffered swelling and bleeding on the brain in addition to several bruises. Source: News Channel 11, Lubbock, TX

Monday, August 20, 2007

Police Say Babysitter Let Thieves Into Home
Two Delaware men have been arrested and another is sought after police say a babysitter let thieves into a Pike Creek home while she tended a baby.The babysitter let two of her acquaintances into the home, Blithe said, and her acquaintances are believed to have stolen the resident’s property “while she was tending to the baby.” (Read More.)

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Trial of Nanny in Shaken Baby Death To Begin Monday
The trial of a nanny accused in a shaken baby death begins Monday morning in Placer County Superior Court. Prosecutors say Veronica Salcedo shook Hannah Rose Juceam to death last year. (Read More)

18 Year Old Babsitter Walks into Traffic; Kills 14-month-old Boy
The Tennessee Highway Patrol says the incident happened Friday night in McMinn County, Tennessee on Highway 30 near the Midway Drive-in. Investigators say Kristina Hamer was babysitting a 14 month old boy, when she walked out in front of traffic while carrying him... (Read More.)

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Friend Says He would Will Continue to Retain Babysitting Services of Accused Child Molester
Testimony continued Friday in the trial of Charles Eugene Orange, with the defendant's longtime friend saying that despite the prosecution's allegations of aggravated sexual abuse of three young boys, he would keep Orange as his babysitter. (Read More.)

Druggie Mom Who Left Child With Drunk Jailed
A New Jersey mother broke down in tears Friday as she was sentenced for leaving her toddler with a drunken babysitter who allowed the child to be mauled by a pit bull. (Read More.)

Friday, August 17, 2007

Man Lures Minor by Offering Babysitting Job
Michael Whitlow, 26, is accused of luring the girl into his home, claiming he was looking for a babysitter for his infant. She believed she was being interviewed for a babysitting opportunity but police say he allegedly wanted to engage her as a sexual partner. (Read More.)

Babysitter Charged With Killing Infant
Maryland police have arrested a Hyattsville girl who they say beat an infant to death while she was babysitting Aug. 10 in Langley Park. The 10-month-old infant, whose name was not released, was pronounced dead at a local hospital Aug. 13. Investigators determined the suspect beat the infant when she wouldn’t stop crying. (Read More.)

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Woman Finds Her Babysitter is a Sex Offender
Police say 62 year old Frank Gutierrez was caught by the child's mother when she returned home from work.Gutierrez was the woman's baby sitter and is a registered sex offender.Police say Monday afternoon, the mother came home to her Sunnyvale apartment and found Gutierrez committing sexual acts with her child in the living room. (Read More.)

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

MARIN CO.: Novato Babysitter Pleads Innocent To Molesting Children
A Novato woman pleaded not guilty in Marin County Superior Court today to molesting three girls under age 6 who were in her care in 2006. Deputy District Attorney Linda Witong said 33-year-old Cristina Raquel Ramirez will appear in court Aug. 20 when a preliminary hearing date will be set and her $300,000 bail is reviewed. Ramirez is being held in the Marin County jail. (Read More.)

Fredericksburg Babysitter Charged with Kidnapping
According to Natatia Bledsoe of the Fredericksburg Police Department, Caroline Zirkle, 20, was charged with felony kidnapping/abduction after the child's mother went to the woman's home around noon today and found that the babysitter and baby were gone. The child was left in the care of Zirkle overnight, police said. (Read More.)

Babysitter Accused of Abusing 5-year-Old
A 32-year-old Florida man is in jail, accused of abusing the 5-year-old boy he was babysitting.
Brian Franze is being held on $100,000 bond in the Pinellas County Jail on a charge of aggravated child abuse. Sheriff's investigators say Franze was angry and forced the boy to do push-ups until it injured the child's stomach. Franze then allegedly caused head injuries by shoving the boy into some furniture. (Read More.)

Former Babysitter Faces Multiple Sexual Assault Charges
According to a police criminal complaint, Raymond Edward Addis, 47, of South Park, molested and sexually assaulted five girls ranging in age from 6 to 13. Court documents said Addis was supposed to be babysitting the children. He would take the children shopping, to a restaurant, the movies and then he would take them back to his apartment in South Park where he would wait until they were asleep before sexually assaulting them. (Read More.)

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

11-Year-Old Accused of Beating Young Boy
Cebra Roland picked up her son Friday afternoon at his babysitter's home at the Pine Ridge Park community in Florence. The babysitter, Angela Soape, told Roland that an 11-year-old child also in her care had attacked Bruce with a belt. Her son Bruce is now confined to a bed at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. (Read More.)

Sunday, August 12, 2007



Woman Who Escaped Custody in 2001 Found in N.C.
A Maryland babysitter who escaped police custody in 2001 while facing several charges, including child abduction, has been found in North Carolina. Police arrested 55-year-old Maria Baughman in Mecklenburg, North Carolina, on Wednesday.
Police say in 2000, Baughman forged court documents, giving herself custody of the girl she babysat, then-nine-year-old Caitlin Crowther. She was found in Hampton, Virginia, in May 2001 and Crowther was returned to her family. (Read More.)

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Bond Set For Live-In Babysitter Charged With Killing Child
Bond was set at $800,000 Saturday for a caretaker accused of killing a one-year-old girl on the South Side. Barbara Hardwell, 52, was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Kylie Humphrey while acting as a live-in caretaker, according to Wentworth Area Sgt. Nancy Higgins. (Read More.) (More.)

Friday, August 10, 2007

Suspect in Girl's Stabbing Pleads Not Guilty
The 7-year-old girl who was repeatedly stabbed while she was at her babysitter's house Thursday remained hospitalized a day later in serious but stable condition. Deputy District Attorney Laurie Hungerford said after the arraignment that preliminary reports show that Nicolas Almanza got a knife with a 5- to 6-inch blade from the kitchen, woke up the girl who was sleeping on the couch, took her into the bathroom, locked the door and started stabbing her.(Read More.)

Babysitter Charged With Sexual Abuse
A 26-year-old babysitter arrested by Del City, Oklahoma police was charged Aug. 2 with sexual abuse of a child, according to court records.According to the court affidavit, James Cortland Richardson of Del City was caught by parents of a child he was watching when they found a cell phone video of him acting inappropriately with the child. (Read More.)

10-Month-Old Drowns In Bathtub
A 10-month-old Shawnee, Kansas girl died late Thursday morning after her 14-year-old sister found her in a bathtub, investigators said. The teenager was baby-sitting the 10-month-old and two other siblings at the time, according to police. (Read More.)

Thursday, August 8, 2007

Novato, California Babysitter Arrested For Alleged Molestation
A Novato woman accused of molesting two young Novato girls she was babysitting is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday afternoon in Marin County Superior Court. (Read More.)
Testimony continues in Savoy Trial
The testimony continued Wednesday in the trial of a Lafayette babysitter accused of killing an eleven month old child in her care. The emotional testimony Wednesday centered on the events leading up to Lane Leger's death. Forensic pathologists say the baby died of blunt force trauma to the head while in Katie Savoy's care. (Read More.)

Babysitter Charged with Hitting Infant in Face
A Scottsburg, Indiana woman was arrested Wednesday afternoon and charged with battery to a child and neglect of a dependent after police say she hit an 8-month-old infant in the face. Indiana State Police say 59-year-old Linda Banawitz-Vertin was babysitting the child, and initially claimed it was an accident. But as WAVE 3's Scott Harvey investigates, she never bothered to seek medical treatment for the child. (Read More.)

Monday, August 6, 2007

Calm 7-Year-Old Aids in Sitter's Rescue
A 7-year-old Granite Bay boy is credited with helping rescue his babysitter who got stuck in a dumb waiter in his home. (Read More.)

Broussard Babysitter on Trial for Manslaughter
Katie Savoy is on trial for manslaughter. Her lawyer argued Friday that the wording in the state's manslaughter statute and the state's negligent homicide statute is the same. (Read More.)

Click here to read about Katie Savoy's original indictment for Manslaughter Charges from July '05 Death of an Infant.

Chicago Caregiver Questioned in 1-Year-Old's Death
Chicago police Monday were questioning a caregiver of a toddler who died of an assault in her Southwest Side home over the weekend. (Read More.)

Saturday, August 4, 2007

Nanny Arrested After Leaving Baby in Car to Go Tanning
A nanny must now appear in Perinton Town Court to answer to charges of leaving a 2-year-old in a car alone on Friday. Jaime L. Rosman, 19, of Victor was arrested Friday by Monroe County Sheriff's deputies and charged with endangering the welfare of a child. At 2:45 p.m., deputies were sent to Island Tan, 555 Moseley Road, responding to a report of a child in an unattended vehicle, according to police. Emergency Medical Services was also dispatched.
Island Tan employees had unlocked the vehicle and removed the child. The car windows had been left open several inches. Rosman became distraught when she came back to the vehicle and didn't see the child inside. Island Tan employees then informed her they had the child.
The 2-year-old was in the car about 10 minutes, according to police.In a separate case, a 5-month-old boy died Thursday in Wyoming County after his mother forgot to drop him off at day care and left him in her car all day. Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Family reports missing nanny
A Philippine nanny's host family has reported her missing, according to Idaho sheriff's deputies.Lenelyn Ordinario Rafael disappeared from the family's north Hailey home with $600 of her host family's cash on the morning of July 25. Rafael's disappearance came midway through her two-year stay with the family. (Read More.)

Friday, August 3, 2007

Houston Babysitter Arrested After Leaving Three Year old Alone and Locked in a Hot Car. The babysitter is Juliette Castillo. She allegedly left 3-year-old Rhianna Cadoo in her 2001 Chevy Impala around 10:30 a.m. in the parking lot of the St. Joseph's professional building in the downtown area. Temperatures were in the high 80s at the time and reached over 100 in the car. (Read More.)

Kansas Woman Charged with Having Sex with Babysitter
A 22-year-old Kansas woman has been charged with statutory rape for allegedly having sex with her 15-year-old male baby sitter. (Read More.)

Mother Testifies in Sitter’s Trial
Katie Sue Savoy, 26, of Lafayette, LA faces a manslaughter charge in the May 2005 death of Lane Leger, who prosecutors said suffered a fatal skull fracture while in Savoy’s care. (Read More.)

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Daycare Worker Indicted
A grand jury indicted a Killeen, Texas day care worker on charges he left a toddler locked in a vehicle for two hours in 90 degree heat. (Read More.)