The Children Advocacy Center’s promise in July to provide rape-crisis exams to adults in Flagler and Volusia counties turned out to be relatively hollow, and was followed by an ultimatum that the CAC would get out of the business altogether by June, triggering a furiously critical response from State Attorney R.J. Larizza, Sheriff Manfre and other local top cops.
child abuse
56-Year-Old Man Accused of Cigarette-Burning a 9-Year-Old Girl in Inappropriate Beach Encounter
Thomas Checchio, a 56-year-old resident of 612 John Anderson Highway in Flagler Beach, faces a charge of felony child abuse after he reportedly “flirted” with a 9-year-old girl at the beach before he claims to have tripped her, causing her to burn herself on his cigarette.
Palm Coast Couple Charged With Aggravated Child Abuse After Neglecting Broken Arm
Authorities learned that the couple allegedly had cruel means of disciplining the 3-year-old boy, including dousing the child in cold water for napping when he wasn’t supposed to, sitting the child by the front door, as punishment, for 10 to 60 minutes, “and twisting [the child] into a pretzel with legs behind [his] head, causing pain to the groin area,” according to the arrest report.
Troubling Scene of 1 and 2 Year Old Soiled and In Road Leads to Neglect Charges Against Mom
Josie-Lynn Walters, 22, a resident of Espanola, was arrested on two counts of child neglect–a third-degree felony–after her children were found wandering unsupervised and in soiled underwear for over an hour near a busy intersection as Walters slept at home.
Report Blisters DCF Over Abused Children’s Deaths as Florida Lawmakers Vow to Act
Florida’s recent series of child-abuse deaths took center stage at the Capitol on Tuesday, as a report blasted the state child-welfare system and as both chambers of the Legislature signaled they would craft bills to address the system’s shortcomings.
Harsh Outlier: Florida’s Sentencing Laws Still Lock Up More Juveniles Than Any Other State
As state legislators have tried and failed to craft a juvenile-sentencing law that conforms to landmark U.S. Supreme Court rulings, a national advocacy group is calling Florida a “clear outlier” among states for its hard-line approach to trying juveniles as adults.
Accused of Abusing a 4-Year-Old Boy With a Belt in April, He’s Arrested Only Wednesday
Luis Betancourt-Rodriguez was charged with child abuse after allegedly hitting a 4-year-old with a belt buckle in April, and with aggravated battery after allegedly striking a man in the face and causing him to almost lose his vision in one eye, but Betancourt-Rodriguez was not arrested until a traffic stop on Wednesday that revealed two arrest warrants.
Broomstick Attack on Basketball Court Leads to Child Abuse Charges and Jail for 30-Year-Old
Several teenagers were playing basketball at the Espanola Community Center Monday evening when 30-year-old Anndra Macklin allegedly attacked one of the youths, and later got into a fight with another, a broomstick in one hand and a beer in the other.
Florida’s Foster Care System Loosening Up Restrictions While Extending Eligibility to 21
New laws reduce bureaucratic hoops for foster kids and their families who would no longer need approval for certain activities enjoyed by other kids and offer more protection to those nervous of stepping out of its protective wrap.
“Don’t Miss the Signs”: In Florida, Campaign and Means to Report Child Abuse Broaden
Last year, the Florida Legislature passed the nation’s most protective child abuse reporting law. The state’s abuse hotline will accept reports of abuse committed by people other than parents and primary caregivers, such as a coach, teacher or neighbor.
After Abuse at Girls’ Lock-Up, Promises of More Oversight from Florida’s Juvenile Justice
In the wake of allegations of abuse by staffers at a girls’ lockup in Milton, the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice is tightening its oversight of private residential facilities – adding interviews with youths and a partnership with the non-profit Annie E. Casey Foundation to its monitoring procedures.
Abuse of Girls at Milton Detention Facility Exposes Flaws in Florida’s Juvenile Justice
The Florida juvenile prison for girls got a 100 percent satisfactory rating from the state a year ago, though two staffers have been accused of abusing girls there, and one was caught on video.
Children in Nursing Homes: Florida Rejects Court Oversight in Dispute With U.S. Justice
The Department of Justice in September threatened legal action over Florida’s violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by improperly placing disabled children in nursing homes and threatened legal action. Florida wants to resolve the dispute but opposes federal court oversight.
Corporal Punishment: When a Religious Exemption Becomes a License to Brutalize
A harrowing recent series in the Tampa Bay Times detailed how for 30 years a handful of homes for troubled youth have used a misguided exemption in Florida law to get away with all manner of abuses by using religion as a shield.
Man Accused of Child Abuse as a Cop Witnesses Him Striking His 14-Year-Old Daughter
James Hartley, Palm Coast resident of Whetstone Lane, is a 44-year-old, 240-pound man who, on Wednesday, was arrested and charged with child abuse and battery after a Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy saw him striking his 14-year-old daughter, who then collapsed on the floor of her home.
Finally for Flagler, a Visitation Safe Haven for Children and Victims of Domestic Violence
The Safe Haven Center for severed families needing a supervised, safe place for children’s visitations or exchanges, would spare families trip to Volusia or St. Johns–or meeting around the flagpole at the courthouse. The $400,000 federal grant was secured and executed by a group of local government and non-governmental leaders led by Judge Raul Zambrano, Commissioner Barbara Revels, and Abby Romaine, a candidate for the commission.
Man Accused of Biting His 8-Month-Old, Another of Hit-and-Run on 88 Year Old
Kevin R. Evans, 25, allegedly bit his 8-month-old boy’s arm during an argument with his girlfriend. Robert Tucker kept driving after rear-ending an 88-year-old’s car on palm Coast Parkway, then hid from a cop behind a banana spread at Winn-Dixie.
Accused of Abuse, Palm Coast Man Uses His 2-Year-Old Son as a Shield Against Deputies
When the deputy made contact with David Romero, 35, he was holding the boy in a headlock and standing in the doorway of the lanai, next to the swimming pool. He’d threatened to throw the boy into the swimming pool if his wife didn’t come out of the house.
Flawed Verdict: Ernie Lopez, After 9 Years in Prison for Child Rape, Is Only Half-Free
In Canada and the U.S. at least 23 people who were wrongly accused of killing children based on flawed or biased work by forensic pathologists have been cleared over the last 15 years.
“He Looks Like He Just Came Out of Auschwitz,” But DCF Blames the Child Anyway
Florida’s Department of Children and Families rewards workers who stage photo-ops and punishes workers more interested in “getting it right” than “getting it done.” Corners will continue to be cut and children will continue to pay the price, argues Florence Snyder.
Flagler 911: Child Abuse, Aggravated Assault, and a Target Shoplifting Spree
A man is jailed for allegedly beating up his wife and bruising his 10-year-old daughter, a pair of alleged shoplifters from Port Orange are caught in the act at the Palm Coast Target, and innumerable lesser incidents.
Young Father in Jail Over Severe Head, Eye and Leg Injuries to His 17-Week-Old Child
Edward Parker, 18, of the Mondex, was preparing for a run when his son began crying. The child was taken to the hospital with a brain hemorrhage, a contusion to the eye and a fractured femur.
DCF Warning About People Impersonating Child Protection Agency’s Investigators
Impersonators of DCF investigators have the Sheriff’s offices in Santa Rosa and Bay counties on the look-out, and the Florida Department of Children and Families warning parents against engaging with individuals lacking proper credentials from DCF.
Spank On: Florida Court Says One Smack Isn’t Child Abuse, But No Limit Set
An appeal court ruled that the spanking of a 14-year-old girl by her father did not amount to domestic violence because the disciplining was applied in a “reasonable manner.”
Following 10-Year-Old Nubia Barahona’s Murder, DCF Seeks More State Support
The Department of Children and Families is seeking $15.8 million to strengthen its investigative abilities, and hoping to shift millions more into the child-protection program to add investigators and case workers.
Jail Follows Allegation of Shooting Up in a Kangaroo Bathroom With 4 Kids in the Car
The four children in Michelle Marie Smith’s car are 8 or younger, including twins who are turning 3 on Friday. She was charged with child abuse while a friend was charged with drug possession.
Sitter Who Ran “Chrissy’s Cottage” in Palm Coast’s P Section Is Charged With Child Abuse
The 1-year-old child left in Cinelli-McFall’s care spent a month in a Jacksonville hospital following injuries he sustained on July 16.
Sheriff Fleming and Rollie Fingers to Headline Sex-Exploitation Prevention Fund-Raiser
The sheriff is the the 2010 recipient of the “Greatest Save” Law Enforcement Award for Florida. Fingers, baseball’s great relief pitchers, will host the $100-a-plate evening.