Politics > Politics-USA > The foster mother of a 16-month-old girl who died less than a monthafter she was placed in the home spoke to her husband at work "seven or eighttimes" before calling 911 on the morning the girl collapsed, a detectivetestified Tuesday
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Politics > Politics-USA |
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"fx" |
| Date: |
18 Apr 2007 09:06:48 AM |
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The foster mother of a 16-month-old girl who died less than a monthafter she was placed in the home spoke to her husband at work "seven or eighttimes" before calling 911 on the morning the girl collapsed, a detectivetestified Tuesday |
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/48642.php
Cop: 911 call to help Emily was delayed
SHERYL KORNMAN
Tucson Citizen
The foster mother of a 16-month-old girl who died less than a month
after she was placed in the home spoke to her husband at work "seven or
eight times" before calling 911 on the morning the girl collapsed, a
detective testified Tuesday.
Tucson police Detective Nichole Greene said the frequency of the calls
was uncharacteristic of the couple when compared with telephone records
from the previous month. Her testimony came during the second day of a
preliminary hearing before a Pima County Justice Court judge.
The hearing is to determine whether Penny West, 38, and Randall West,
39, will stand trial for felony child abuse in the death of Emily Mays.
She had been taken from her mother and placed with the Wests by Child
Protective Services. The Wests were licensed by the state as foster parents.
Mays died Aug. 24, 2005, at Tucson Medical Center after she was taken
off a ventilator.
She appeared to have stopped breathing earlier that day after "suddenly
falling backward," Penny West told investigators.
Greene said Penny West told her she stripped off the child's clothes and
put her in a bathroom sink to "splash her with cold water" to try to
revive her. Greene said she was told the toddler did not appear to be
breathing and defecated in the sink, and that is when Penny West called
her husband.
West did not attempt CPR, she told investigators.
Dr. Andreas A. Theodorou, a pediatric intensive care specialist at
University Medical Center, testified Monday that Emily Mays died from
uncontrollable bleeding inside the brain caused by blunt force trauma.
He testified that he did not believe the injury was an accident.
He said the child also suffered retinal hemorrhages consistent with
bleeding caused by blunt force trauma.
Theodorou said the delay in calling 911 is a factor when determining if
child abuse has occurred.
"It's a peculiar response not to call 911 right away. The standard
response is to call 911," he said.
West wept as Greene described West's actions in the moments after she
thought Emily had fainted and had placed her in the sink.
Greene said West told her she called her husband and told him to come
home and said she would call 911.
But the detective said phone records show there were seven or eight
calls between them before she called 911.
A videotaped interview of one of the Wests' biological children was
shown in court Tuesday over the objections of defense attorneys. The
Tucson Citizen isn't identifying the child.
In the video, the child said Randall West frequently drank beer and
displayed anger. The child said that on the night before Emily died,
Randall West watched the children from 8:30 to 10 p.m. while Penny West
picked up one of the children.
The child said that before Emily's collapse, she had "a big red bump on
the front of her head. We don't know where that came from. I have no clue."
The hearing is to continue today with testimony from the Pima County
coroner.
CURRENTLY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES VIOLATES MORE CIVIL RIGHTS ON A
DAILY BASIS THEN ALL OTHER AGENCIES COMBINED INCLUDING THE NSA/CIA
WIRETAPING PROGRAM....
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 THEIR
"FAMILY UNFRIENDLY" IN THE NEXT ELECTION...
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