Dallas: Ex-worker at AIDS home accused of breaking baby's leg
08:09 PM CDT on Friday, May 11, 2007
By BRUCE TOMASO / The Dallas Morning News
btomaso@dallasnews.com
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/051207dnmetbharrest.5cd2d0fc.html
A former worker at Bryan's House in Dallas has been arrested on a charge
of reckless injury to a child, Dallas police said Friday.
Tanisha Lacy, 27, is suspected of unintentionally breaking the leg of a
5-month-old boy in her care, a police supervisor said. The baby had been
placed in Bryan's House by the state Child Protective Services division.
Ms. Lacy could not be reached for comment Friday. Dallas County Jail
officials said she was released on $2,500 bail.
Discovery of the baby's injury during a medical exam in March led to an
investigation of Bryan's House by Dallas police and state authorities.
CPS removed all 18 of the foster children it had placed in Bryan's
House, effectively shutting down the renowned residential facility, a
favorite of high-profile Dallas philanthropists.
Established 20 years ago, Bryan's House cares for AIDS babies and other
children with severe medical problems.
David Thomas, executive director of Bryan's House, said he was hopeful
that the state would resume placing children there now that an arrest
had been made. He said Bryan's House cooperated fully with police and
state authorities in trying to determine how the baby had been injured.
Patrick Crimmins, a CPS spokesman, said agency officials in Austin had
met with Bryan's House representatives this week. He said the agency
would consider resuming placement of children at Bryan's House "if they
can provide us with a plan to ensure, to the best of their ability, that
this won't happen again – that the children we place there will be safe
from harm." Mr. Crimmins offered no timetable for when placements might
resume.
Mr. Thomas described Ms. Lacy as a reliable worker with a clean record
during the four years she was at Bryan's House.
He and Dallas police Lt. C.L. Williams, supervisor of the department's
crimes against children unit, said the injuries to the 5-month-old did
not appear to be intentionally inflicted; rather, they said, the child
may have been handled carelessly or roughly during routine medical care.
"The investigation determined that this woman was apparently taking the
baby's temperature, and in the process caused a crack in the tibia [shin
bone]," Mr. Thomas said. "Their conclusion is that apparently it was
accidental, not intentional."
Lt. Williams concurred. He said the woman was generally cooperative when
police questioned her.
"It appears that while caring for the child, she just pushed on one leg
too hard and caused the injury," he said.
The lieutenant said X-rays also revealed that the 5-month-old had a
broken collarbone. But while the break in the leg bone could be
medically pinpointed as having occurred about a week before it was
discovered, the timing and cause of the collarbone injury could not be
determined.
"We may never know how that happened," he said.
He described the baby as a good-natured but "sickly child" with a host
of medical problems. He did not reveal the nature of those problems.
The crime that Ms. Lacy is accused of is a state jail felony carrying a
potential penalty of 180 days' to two years' incarceration, Lt. Williams
said.
Founded in 1987, Bryan's House was named for Bryan Allen, the son of
Dallas nurse Lydia Allen and a grandson of the Rev. Jimmy Allen, a
renowned pastor and one-time president of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Bryan died of AIDS as an infant in 1986. Later, his mother and an older
brother also died of the disease. All three got it from a tainted
transfusion that Ms. Allen had received while pregnant with the older boy.
The home moved years ago from its original location in Oak Lawn to its
present location, near Inwood Road and Harry Hines Boulevard. A who's
who of Dallas athletes, celebrities, entrepreneurs and business
executives have joined in fundraisers for Bryan's House over the years.
CURRENTLY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES VIOLATES MORE CIVIL RIGHTS ON A
DAILY BASIS THEN ALL OTHER AGENCIES COMBINED INCLUDING THE NATIONAL
SECURITY AGENCY/CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY WIRETAPPING PROGRAM....
CPS Does not protect children...
It is sickening how many children are subject to abuse, neglect and even
killed at the hands of Child Protective Services.
every parent should read this .pdf from
connecticut dcf watch...
www.connecticutdcfwatch.com/8x11.pdf
Number of Cases per 100,000 children in the US
These numbers come from The National Center on
Child Abuse and Neglect in Washington. (NCCAN)
Recent numbers have increased significantly for CPS
*Perpetrators of Maltreatment*
Physical Abuse CPS 160, Parents 59
Sexual Abuse CPS 112, Parents 13
Neglect CPS 410, Parents 241
Fatalities CPS 6.4, Parents 1.5
BE SURE TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR CANDIDATES STANDS ON THE ISSUE OF
REFORMING OR ABOLISHING CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES ("MAKE YOUR CANDIDATES
TAKE A STAND ON THIS ISSUE.") THEN REMEMBER TO VOTE ACCORDINGLY IF THEY
ARE "FAMILY UNFRIENDLY" IN THE NEXT ELECTION...
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