Father at loss to explain why he killed young son By Gina Barton of the Journal Sentinel Posted: Feb. 19, 2010 A man who beat his 3-year-old son to death couldn't give a judge a clear answer for why he did it. "What were you thinking?" Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Jeffrey Conen asked the defendant, Brandon Hardwick, at a sentencing hearing Friday. "Why? How did this come about?" After a long pause, Hardwick, 22, answered simply: "I didn't care for myself." Hardwick's attorney, Lori Kuehn, said Hardwick himself had been abused as a child. On the March night when his son, Khamari, died of blunt force trauma to the head, Hardwick simply snapped, she said. According to a criminal complaint, Hardwick told police he began beating the child and whipping him with a belt because Khamari made a mess in the dining room. After making the boy stand in the corner, Hardwick grabbed him by the hand, smashing his head into a wall. There was a hole in the wall, Assistant District Attorney Mark Williams said, likely caused by the impact of the little boy's head. "My short bit of rage for that few minutes cost the life of someone who could have been something great, was great already," Hardwick said during the hearing. "Please forgive me." For killing the boy and for punching him in the stomach on an earlier occasion, Conen sentenced Hardwick to 13 years in prison and 10 years under the supervision of the Department of Corrections after his release. More than 50 people were in the courtroom for the hearing. Three of them - Khamari's mother, grandmother and great-grandmother - spoke on the child's behalf. Khamari loved Spider-Man and riding his bike, they said. He was learning to tie his shoes. Although he loved animals, he was afraid to ride a pony. "No way," he told his grandmother, Lynette Jordan. "That dog is too big." When his great-grandmother came home from work, he would rush to sit in her favorite recliner so she would have to play with him instead of sitting down. If she tried to take some time for herself, he would pound on the door until she let him in. And he loved the park, even in the winter, especially the swings. "I'm not scared!" he would cry. "Push me to the sky!" Khamari's great-grandmother, Norma Jordan, said the family has only been able to cope with his death through constant prayer. "Khamari did not - I repeat myself - did not deserve to be abused, beaten or tortured the way he was," she said. "He was a beautiful child. I want peace for my family and peace for my baby who cannot speak for himself."       Former Brown Deer soccer coach charged in sex assault of player By Jesse Garza of the Journal Sentinel Posted: Feb. 19, 2010 A former girls' junior varsity soccer coach at Brown Deer High School was charged Friday with sexually assaulting a member of the team she coached, according to a criminal complaint. Emily Louise Patterson, 26, who is a teacher at Mukwonago High School, was charged with one count of sexual assault of a student by school staff in connection with an incident that allegedly involved a 16-year-old student. According to the complaint, Patterson and the girl became friends during the 2008-2009 girls soccer season and became physically involved in January of this year. Patterson is charged with one incident that allegedly occurred when she spent the night at the girl's house. According to the complaint, the incident involved Patterson and the girl groping and touching each other outside their clothing. Patterson's contract with the Brown Deer School District ended with the 2008-2009 girls' soccer season. However she was still considered a volunteer coach because of her involvement with an open gym night for girls interested in playing soccer, according to the complaint. Officials with both the Brown Deer and Mukwonago school districts have declined comment.       Day care worker gets year in prison for abuse By Gina Barton of the Journal Sentinel Posted: Feb. 19, 2010 A former day care worker was sentenced Friday to a year in prison for breaking the arms of two young children at Alphabet Street Learning Center, 4473 N. 76th St., in 2009. Pamela Coleman, 42, is a mother and grandmother and is seven weeks pregnant, according to her attorney, Frederick Klimetz. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Jeffrey Conen said he was worried about the baby's future. "With the problems that you have and the anger issues you have, there is no way you should be taking care of children," he told Coleman. "Frankly, I'm concerned for the safety of that baby, when the baby is born, if this is the way you take care of children." After her release from prison, Coleman must spend a year under the supervision of the state Department of Corrections. Incidents from 2009 Both victims, a 4-month-old boy and a 22-month-old girl, suffered spiral fractures to their arms. That type of injury is the result of forceful twisting. The incidents occurred on two separate occasions in early 2009. According to a criminal complaint, Coleman told police she felt stressed out and pressured while caring for the boy because he was one of 12 under her responsibility. When he cried to be held, she grabbed his arms and twisted them, according to the complaint. About a month later, the 22-month-old girl refused to wash her hands. Coleman picked her up by the arms. She told police she wanted to hurt the girl "to send a message to her to listen," the complaint says. An earlier sentencing hearing unraveled when Coleman said she wanted to withdraw her guilty plea to a charge resulting from the boy's broken arm: physical abuse of a child recklessly causing harm. She later reconsidered that decision, leaving a plea agreement intact. Under that agreement, Coleman also agreed to be held accountable for injuring the girl. Her waffling caused further injury to the children's parents, whose trust she already had violated, Conen said. "She has dragged these parents of these victims through the mud for the last couple of months playing games back and forth," he said. Before being taken into custody, Coleman apologized for her actions. "I'm not a bad person. I'm a good person," she said. "All I want to do is go back to normal and go back to life and just better myself."       Child’s injuries go unnoticed Judge clears parents for care; toddler in hospital soon after By Crocker Stephenson of the Journal Sentinel Posted: Feb. 6, 2010  Last month, a Milwaukee County Children's Court judge lifted an order to protect twin boys born in the fall of 2008 to a woman then imprisoned for child abuse. The decision by Judge Glenn H. Yamahiro was contrary to a recommendation by an assistant district attorney, who wanted the order extended for another year. It was contrary to a recommendation by an attorney representing the children's interests, called a guardian ad litem, who also wanted it extended. And it was contrary to a recommendation by the Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare, which wanted the order extended to at least March, when the mother is expected to give birth to her seventh child. But Yamahiro's decision was exactly what the parents wanted. No more twice-monthly visits from child welfare workers. No more strangers checking if they were capable of taking care of their kids. The mother lifted one of the boys from their stroller and hugged him in front of the judge. She did not pick up the other. On Jan. 20 - exactly two weeks later - the second twin, the one the mother did not pick up, suffered a seizure at the couple's south side home and was taken to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. Doctors examined the toddler - referred to in court documents as E.G. - and found him suffering from abusive head trauma, a condition formally known as Shaken Baby Syndrome. He had a broken right shin and a broken right fibula, which is the bone beside the shin. These bones had been broken completely through, according to court records. They had never been treated and had begun to heal improperly. He had a broken left wrist, which also was healing without treatment. He had an injury to the left shoulder that, according to court records, was consistent with a fracture caused by "a grab and a twist to the extremity of severe force." He had a broken rib. He had several broken fingers. Altogether, the boy had at least seven and as many as 11 broken bones, according to court records. At 16 months, he weighed the same as he did when he was 9 months old. "It is likely some of the damage is irreversible," according to a criminal complaint, which charges the 40-year-old father with physical abuse of a child and charges both the father and the 27-year-old mother with child neglect. The Journal Sentinel is not naming the couple in order to protect their children's identities. They are scheduled to appear for their preliminary hearing in Milwaukee County Circuit Court on Monday. It is unclear how many of these afflictions the boy had suffered before the Jan. 6 hearing, attended by the judge, prosecutor Beth Zirgibel, guardian ad litem Carol Petersen and bureau caseworker Leah Chase, who was responsible for monitoring the twins' safety since their birth. Also present were attorney Joseph Alioto, representing the father; attorney David Bordow, representing the mother, and the usual array of court personnel. It appears, from statements taken after the parents' arrest, that the child had suffered terribly, even as bureau caseworkers, including Chase, made twice monthly visits to their home. The mother told police that her boyfriend had stepped on the boy's leg in November, well before the hearing. The father told investigators the same thing, but later changed his story and told them the child fell down a flight of stairs. He said, according to the complaint, that he was angry at the boy for falling and shook him, causing his head to whip back and forth until his eyes rolled to the back of his head. "The defendant realized that E.G.'s leg was fractured because he could see that it was fractured into two pieces," the complaint says. "Instead of being one long bone, the leg whipped back and forth in two pieces as the defendant shook E.G." The couple decided not to take the boy to the hospital because both had a history of abusing children, the complaint says. Court files do not indicate if Chase was aware of any injury, accidental or not, that the child might have suffered before the Jan. 6 hearing. She testified at the hearing that she had no current safety concerns. "Would you see any harm in terminating the order today?" Alioto, the father's attorney, asked. "That's difficult to answer," she responded. "In the last year, both parents have been cooperative with the bureau, and there have not been any concerns. But there has been a history, so." A Journal Sentinel investigation of that history, chronicled in the parents' criminal files and in the victim's children court files, raises questions of whether a strong social and legal bias toward reuniting children with their parents blinded those who, on Jan. 6, might have rescued E.G. from his suffering and protected him from the dangers to come. "Parents are given chances over and over again - without regard to the safety of the child," said Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills). "It is a very disturbing practice that puts the parent's rights over the child's." Not so, according to Children's Court Presiding Judge Marshall Murray. "Safety is the primary concern. You want the kids in a safe home," he said. But safety, he said, is a judgment call. "No one has a crystal ball," Murray said. Yamahiro said he could not comment on specific facts of the case, but "I accept full responsibility for the decisions I make as a judge." "Although I deeply regret the injuries that occurred to this child," he said, "it is a fact that sometimes bad things happen in spite of our best efforts." Multiple problems E.G. and his brother were born in Fond du Lac, where their mother was incarcerated for the Sept. 19, 2004, abuse of an infant daughter. The mother was still on probation for that crime when she appeared before Yamahiro regarding the twins. In the earlier case, the mother had admitted to biting her daughter on both cheeks and slapping her twice on both ears because she had been crying, according to a criminal complaint charging her with felony child abuse. The bureau removed the baby girl and two older siblings from her home and, in January 2005, a judge ordered the mother to serve four years probation. By then, the mother was carrying her fourth child, impregnated by a boyfriend who would also father the twins. The children were returned to the mother in August that year. "The mother's progress resulted in successful reunification," according to Department of Children and Families report that was requested by the Journal Sentinel and released last Wednesday. The reunification was short-lived. The three children, and the fourth child, a girl born that June, were removed by the bureau five months later, in January 2006. According to a report prepared by the mother's probation officer, the mother dropped the children off with a baby sitter, who noticed one of the children had a "powder-like foundation on her face." The baby sitter wiped off the foundation and found the child's face covered with bruises. One of the children told investigators that the boyfriend bit the child because she wrote on the walls with crayon, according to a court document. The girl said he beat one child with a belt because the child "wet the couch." "She reported he always hits everyone in the face with his hands," the document says. The mother would eventually relinquish her parental rights to all four children. The boyfriend is challenging the termination of his parental rights to the daughter. The conditions of the mother's probation were amended, and she was ordered to have no contact with the boyfriend. The mother ignored the order, according to the probation report. In August 2006, the boyfriend was arrested for beating her with a belt. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery and was sentenced to 15 months probation. The mother continued to see the boyfriend and in May 2008, her probation was revoked. A judge sentenced her to a year in prison and two years' probation. The twins were born four months later, on Sept. 4, 2008, and were placed in custody of the Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare. Reunification The mother was released from prison in January 2009. A prison social worker noted the mother's "criminal thinking has not changed during her incarceration thus far. She reportedly has not taken responsibility for the physical abuse her children experienced." The mother, the social worker said, considered the abuse no more than "a big misunderstanding." Caseworker Leah Chase began working on a possible reunification of the twins with their mother and father. Chase works for Integrated Family Services, which has a contract with the state-run bureau to provide case management and safety services to nearly 1,100 children in Milwaukee County. By May, the mother and the father's probation officers agreed to allow the couple to live together after the father completed his domestic violence class. The mother and father were having supervised visits with the twins. Chase proposed once-a-week partially unsupervised visits, a critical step toward eventual reunification. Petersen, the children's guardian ad litem, objected to allowing the parents to be alone with the twins. A report signed by Chase and her supervisor, Ryan Brant, notes that Petersen "is against visitations being conducted but in a highly supervised setting." Among the services Integrated Family Services provided were twice-monthly face-to-face caseworker visits with the twins. Those visits continued until Yamahiro lifted the protective order. After visiting the couple and their twins on May 5, Chase reported that she watched the father "holding both twins at once, playing with them, cuddling them. (He) seemed very at ease with the twins. He spent individual time with the twins as well." Chase reported that the Professional Service Group employee responsible for supervising visits, Palo Manzo, had "no concerns with the visits. The parents are sharing responsibility well, showing good parenting skills and working together as a team." Two months later, on July 29, the bureau removed the children from their kinship foster parent and placed them in the mother and father's home. Petersen objected to the placement; she withdrew her objection in August, according to court records. "The parents have displayed an enhanced capacity to meet the needs of the children," Chase wrote in support of the new placement. Chase recommended, however, that the bureau continue to supervise "to ensure a successful reunification." The attorneys for the mother and father objected to extending bureau supervision. The parents, they argued, had taken all the parenting classes, domestic violence classes, attended all the therapy sessions and rehab programs required of them. They had lived with their children, apparently without incident, for five months and had done everything that was asked of them. They were ready to be the parents everyone expected them to be. They were ready to be let go. On Jan. 6, 2010, Judge Yamahiro agreed.       Sex offender cited for violating residency ordinance last month Sheboygan Press staff • January 9, 2010 A 34-year-old sex offender has been cited twice in the last month for living in the City of Sheboygan without approval. Rogelio Cortez Jr., who was convicted of incest in 1995, has been living at 2205-B Indiana Ave., said Capt. James Veeser of the Sheboygan Police Department. Since October 2008, registered sex offenders have been prohibited from moving to a home within 2,000 feet of any school, licensed day-care center, place of worship, park, trail or playground, or any other location designated by the city, effectively making the whole city off limits. The ordinance allows sex offenders to petition for an exception, but Cortez has not done so. Cortez was first cited and told to leave Dec. 10 after police received a tip he was living within the city limits, Veeser said. A detective checked the apartment again on Wednesday and found Cortez was still there, so a second citation was issued. Cortez was convicted of the felony sex offense in Sheboygan County and sentenced to a year in prison. The offense is a non-criminal ordinance violation that carries a fine of $177. Veeser said offenders who repeatedly refuse to comply can be cited for every day they live in the city, which would include each day between the prior citations. Assistant City Attorney Charles Adams said the most citations issued to one person so far is six, against Christopher A. Holmes, 29, who is now living in Sheboygan Falls, according to the sex offender registry. Police found Holmes living in three different Sheboygan locations in August, and he was eventually cited in November for some of the days in between those contacts, Adams said. Veeser said police have issued 10 citations for violating the ordinance since June.       Man To Stand Trial In Death Of Baby Found Under Mattress Darius Woodley Pleads Not Guilty POSTED: 5:08 pm CST January 8, 2010 UPDATED: 5:34 pm CST January 8, 2010 MILWAUKEE -- After an emotional court hearing on Friday, a Milwaukee man accused of killing a 6-month-old baby following a drug binge was ordered to stand trial on homicide charges. DeKia Mattox was found dead the day after Christmas stuffed under a mattress in her Milwaukee home. The medical examiner said she died of head injuries. DeKia was often cared for by her young mom's aunt, Sharon Coleman, who took the stand in the hearing for 36-year-old Darius Woodley, who is charged with first-degree reckless homicide. Coleman came home to find her boyfriend and Woodley with the lifeless baby. "I was trying to bring her back. She wouldn't come back. So I grabbed a blanket, wrapped her up in her blanket, and ran next door to my neighbor's for help," Coleman said. By the time police arrived, it was too late. An officer testified. Woodley seemed to know it. "Mr. Woodley came running to my squad car, asking me to arrest him. He stated several times, 'Arrest me. Arrest me.' I asked him if he did something wrong. I continued to ask him, 'Why should I arrest you?' He then stated something bad happened to the baby. 'You need to put the cuffs on me. Put me in your car,'" Milwaukee police Officer Danilo Cardenas said. Woodley was left alone with DeKia after police said he and Coleman's boyfriend, Willie McElroy, used drugs. McElroy found her body. "Then I saw the hump in the mattress of my bed, and I raised the mattress up, and DeKia was under the mattress," witness Willie McElroy said. McElroy testified Woodley tried to run but was held until police arrived. "'I'm going to go to jail for murder.' That's what he kept saying, 'I'm going to go to jail for murder.' I said, 'Yeah, you is,'" McElroy said. The baby's 15-year-old mother was in court but didn't take the stand. Woodley entered a not guilty plea. If convicted of first-degree reckless homicide, he could face up to 60 years in prison. Previous Stories: December 30, 2009: Officials Were Investigating Placement Of Killed Baby December 30, 2009: Man Charged In Death Of 6-Month-Old Baby December 29, 2009: Police: Baby Stuffed Under Mattress Copyright 2010 by WISN.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.       Possible Charges Today in School Bus Driver Sex Assault Case By The WTMJ News Team FOND DU LAC - A Fond du Lac school bus driver accused of sexually assaulting two little girls could be charged today. William Rangel, 57, is accused of exposing himself to a girl who was getting on his bus. Another girl, who is eight years old, claims he sexually assaulted her.       10-month-old left in minivan is unharmed BY MARCI LAEHR TENUTA mtenuta@journaltimes.com Wednesday, August 5, 2009 8:27 PM CDT UNION GROVE — A 10-month-old girl was rescued unharmed Wednesday after spending about 30 minutes alone inside a minivan in a grocery store parking lot. The baby’s mother, a 35-year-old Kansasville woman, reportedly forgot the infant was in the back seat when she ran into the Piggly Wiggly at 1006 Vine St., according to Racine County sheriff’s deputies. Deputies were called to the grocery store shortly before 11:30 a.m. by a customer who saw the baby in the van when she went into the store, and saw the girl still in the vehicle when she left 20 minutes later. Deputies found the minivan in the parking lot and were able to unlock the vehicle through an open window, according to Sgt. Carl Laux. He said the baby appeared to be unharmed. The baby was taken by rescue to Wheaton Franciscan-All Saints hospital, 3801 Spring St., only as a precaution and on the advice of the emergency room physician, Laux said. Reports said the girl’s mother and a friend went into the Piggly Wiggly and forgot the baby in the backseat. The infant was properly restrained in a car seat behind the driver’s seat, Laux said. Doug Preston, one of the grocery store’s owners, said the store was unaware that a child had been left inside a vehicle in the parking lot until they were contacted by deputies. Store management was asked to page the baby’s mother over the store intercom.   However, Laux said neither the woman nor her friend heard the store announcement. Instead, while she was in the check out line, the mother remembered on her own that the baby was in the minivan and went outside to get her. The mom was not arrested, Laux said. She was allowed to follow the rescue squad to the hospital and the baby was released to her care, he said. Child neglect charges against the mother may be pending, according to the sheriff’s department. A report was also expected to be forwarded to the Racine County Human Services Department.       Tanning Mom Pleads Guilty Yolanda Kruse Left Children In Car In May POSTED: 6:03 pm CDT August 5, 2009 UPDATED: 6:25 pm CDT August 5, 2009 TWIN LAKES, Wis. -- The mother who left her young children in her car while she went tanning earlier this year issued her plea to felony charges Wednesday. Police arrested Yolanda Kruse in May after an employee at the Sunkist Tanning Salon in Twin Lakes called 911 after spotting the kids. Kruse pleaded guilty to two felony counts of recklessly endangering safety Wednesday. The charges could be reduced to misdemeanors if she completes parenting classes and stays out of trouble for the next year.     Former day care worker pleads guilty in abuse case By Crocker Stephenson of the Journal Sentinel Posted: Aug. 4, 2009 Former day care worker Pamela Coleman pleaded guilty Tuesday to breaking the arm of a 22-month-old girl who refused to wash her hands. Coleman, 42, was originally charged with breaking the arms of two children: the girl and 4-month-old boy who wanted to be held. Both children attended Alphabet Street Learning Center, 4473 N. 76 St. The Department of Children and Families suspended Alphabet Street's license in April. In May, the center's owner, Willye Banks, surrendered her child-care license and agreed never again to operate a child-care center in Wisconsin. Coleman pleaded guilty to physical abuse of child (reckless causation of bodily harm). The abuse Coleman inflicted on the second child will be weighed when she is sentenced Oct. 5.   Jury Convicts Dad In Prayer-Death Case Dale Neumann Convicted On Reckless Homicide Charge POSTED: 3:31 pm CDT August 1, 2009 UPDATED: 4:18 pm CDT August 1, 2009 WAUSAU, Wis. -- A central Wisconsin jury has convicted a father charged with killing his dying daughter by praying instead of taking her to a doctor. The jury found Dale Neumann guilty of second-degree reckless homicide. The verdict comes after 15 hours of deliberations over two days based on testimony this week from Neumann, who said he couldn't seek medical help for his 11-year-old daughter, Madeline, without disobeying God. The girl died of undiagnosed diabetes. Neumann, 47, was criminally reckless in not seeking medical help, prosecutors said. Madeline died on the floor of the family's rural Weston home as people surrounded her and prayed. Someone called 911 when she stopped breathing. Neumann's 41-year-old wife, Leilani, was convicted on the same charge in the spring and is scheduled for sentencing Oct. 6. Both face up to 25 years in prison. Their case is believed to be the first in Wisconsin involving faith healing in which someone died and another person was charged with a homicide. The six-man, six-woman jury deliberated about 15 hours over two days before convicting Neumann. Jurors submitted four questions to Marathon County Circuit Judge Vincent Howard before reaching a verdict. In one, the panel asked whether Neumann's beliefs in faith healing made him "not liable" for not taking his daughter to the hospital even if he knew she wasn't feeling well. Neumann, who once studied to be a Pentecostal minister, testified Thursday that he believed God would heal his daughter and he never expected her to die. God promises in the Bible to heal, he said. "If I go to the doctor, I am putting the doctor before God," Neumann testified. "I am not believing what he said he would do." Marathon County Assistant District Attorney LaMont Jacobson told jurors Friday that Neumann was "overwhelmed by pride" in his interpretation of the Bible and selfishly let Madeline die as a test of faith. Neumann knew he should have taken his daughter to a doctor and minimized her illness when speaking with investigators, Jacobson said, calling Neumann no different than a drunken driver who remarks he only had a couple of beers. The father said Thursday he thought Madeline had the flu or a fever, and several relatives and family friends testified they also did not realize how sick she was. Doctors testified that Madeline would have had a good chance of survival if she received medical care, including insulin and fluids, before she stopped breathing. They said the 911 call came too late. Defense attorney Jay Kronenwetter said Neumann sincerely believed praying would heal his daughter and he did nothing criminally wrong. "Dale Neumann was doing what he thought would work for his daughter," Kronenwetter said. "He was administering faith healing. He thought it was working." Of course, the praying didn't work, Kronenwetter said: "He was terribly wrong and no one feels that more than Dale Neumann." Copyright 2009 by WISN.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.   Thank you Crocker Stephenson. Reporting on abuse trial sheds light on the truth By Crocker Stephenson of the Journal Sentinel Posted: May. 9, 2009 11:40 p.m.     Crocker Stephenson more photos   Crocker Stephenson Close Fatal Care: Fostering reform in child welfare For complete archived coverage of the story of the death of 13-month-old Christopher L. Thomas Jr. and its catalyst for change in the child welfare bureau, click here. A reporter's job, simply put, has but two components. Pay attention. Tell the truth. To the degree that attention is not paid, to the degree that the truth is shaded, that is the degree to which a reporter has failed. But what is a reporter to do when the thing he must attend is repulsive? What is a reporter to do when the truth is difficult to bear? The four-day trial of Crystal Keith last week was such a situation. I have been a reporter for 23 years. I have seen a man executed. I have seen refugees of war struggling to survive in barbed-wire camps. I've seen a corpse pulled from the Milwaukee River, a crack addict light up in front of her kids, a young veteran and former track star walk across his living room on prosthetic limbs. But the Crystal Keith trial: Nothing has so stung my eyes, troubled my heart, sickened my stomach or tied my tongue. I have, sitting here on my desk, a 117-page transcript of Keith's three-hour confession, a recording of which was played to the 14 heroic - and I do mean heroic - men and women who served on her jury. It is her account of the beatings, burnings and abuses meted out to 13-month-old Christopher Thomas and to his 2-year-old sister. It is repugnant. Yet, my copy is dog-eared, underlined, noted and tagged. It is something I wish, as a human being, I had never encountered. But it is something that I, as a journalist, was obliged to absorb. I want to tell you this: It cost me. Looking at the photographs of Christopher's dead body cost me. Looking at the pictures of his sister's wounds cost me. Writing about these things, writing about them truthfully, cost me. The jurors looked at these things, listened to them, out of civic duty. Their exposure cost them, too. And their willingness to confront such monstrosity, to weigh it and to judge its meaning, civilizes us. As for me, I just did what reporters do. I paid attention. I told the truth. Which is what makes being a reporter such an extraordinary thing. We reporters participate in our society's most significant moments. Some of these are moments of great achievement; some of these are appalling. Part of our job is to confront monstrosity. I believe that in doing so, in paying attention and in telling the truth, we loosen its hold and improve our chances of becoming a more civilized society. We pay attention to Christopher Thomas's death - even though we'd rather look away - because Christopher's death, in and of itself, matters. And because, perhaps, someone will call police the next time they hear a neighbor beating a child. Perhaps a teacher will notice a child's bruise and ask about it. Perhaps the people who are responsible for protecting our abused and neglected children will do a better job. I hear journalism is dying. I don't believe it. There will always be journalism. But pray that the journalism to come pays attention. Pray it tells the truth. .     Testimony Ends In Baby Death Case Closing Arguments In Keith Trial To Begin Thursday POSTED: 5:28 pm CDT May 6, 2009 UPDATED: 6:20 pm CDT May 6, 2009 MILWAUKEE -- Testimony wrapped up in a Milwaukee County child abuse and homicide trial as the judge moves to limit some of what jurors could hear. The defense tried to go inside the mind of Crystal Keith, focusing on her mental state at the time police say she abused 13-month-old Christopher Thomas Jr. and his sister. Prosecutors said Thomas died from the abuse and neglect. Judge Patricia McMahon decided not to allow a psychologist testify about Keith’s troubled past. That would have possibly allowed Keith to explain her state of mind at the time of the alleged abuse. "For a child who has survived, this would be the top 10 worst [cases] I’ve ever seen in my 20 years," prosecution witness Dr. Lynn Sheets said. Those were some of the strong words from a doctor for the prosecution describing the severe burns, fractures and malnutrition endured by Thomas Jr.’s 2-year-old sister. "She was very frightened. In fact, when I walked in the room she just shook her head from side to side," Sheets said. Keith’s defense attorneys say that she is a victim too, but the jurors only heard part of that defense. "I diagnosed her as having major depressed disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, general anxiety disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder. On axis two, I have diagnosed her as having schizoid personality disorder," defense witness Dr. Michael Kula said. Assistant District Attorney Mark Williams argued the psychologist could not tell what Keith’s state of mind was when police said she abused her foster children. McMahon agreed and quickly ended the testimony. "Whether she understood how dangerous her conduct was and what she was thinking at the time, I agree that's hearsay. That comes from her," McMahon said. That was the only witness for the defense. Keith will not testify. Closing arguments are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Thursday.     Racine officer arrested for sexual assault of a child By Marci Laehr Tenuta mtenuta@journaltimes.com Wednesday, May 6, 2009 9:26 PM CDT RACINE — “I did not do it.” Those are the words of Racine Police Officer Damen Lowe as recorded in the criminal complaint filed Wednesday accusing him of repeated sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl. Lowe, a 10-year veteran of the department, was charged in Racine County Circuit Court Wednesday afternoon with sexual assault of a child under 16, repeated sexual assault of a child, exposing a child to harmful material and two counts of physical abuse of a child. If convicted he faces up to 135 years in prison. The 34-year-old patrol officer was arrested Monday by Racine County sheriff’s deputies after an investigation prompted by the Racine County Human Services Department into allegations that he abused the teenage girl. According to the complaint, on April 30, Lowe confronted the girl at her school about who she had been text messaging. When she wouldn’t tell him, he allegedly grabbed her, took her into the teacher’s lounge and locked the door. The girl told authorities Lowe handcuffed her and then brought her to his home. Later that same day, Lowe allegedly struck the girl in the leg with his belt. When interviewed by a sheriff’s investigator, Lowe reportedly admitted to handcuffing the girl at school, but denied hitting her. As part of the investigation, arrangements were made for the teen to be interviewed at the Child Advocacy Center. The complaint states that during that interview, the girl said Lowe had inappropriate sexual contact with her multiple times over the last three years. Following that interview, sheriff’s investigators questioned Lowe again. “(Lowe) made two statements regarding the allegations, stating, ‘I did not do it,’ and ‘She is a liar,’” the complaint says. John Campion, Lowe’s defense attorney, said in court Wednesday that his client maintained his innocence and the charges against him were based on the word of one person. He successfully argued for a $5,000 cash bond for Lowe when the state had recommended $100,000. “The source of these charges is one individual,” Campion said. He also said that the allegations of long-time abuse by Lowe were only first being reported now. “That should give us all pause,” he said. Court Commissioner Alice Rudebusch ordered the $5,000 cash bond, along with a $50,000 signature bond. Other conditions of Lowe’s bond include no contact with the victim or any children, that he be placed on house arrest with a GPS tracking device, that he not possess or have access to any computers and possess no weapons. Lowe, who worked third shift patrol and as a liaison officer for the Racine Unified School District, has been jailed in Kenosha County since his arrest. He is currently on paid administrative leave, according to police department spokesman Sgt. Bernie Kupper. Lowe will remain on paid leave for the duration of the investigation and trial process pending the outcome of the court proceedings and an internal review, Kupper said. L27 for a preliminary hearing. The case will stay in Racine County, said Deputy District Attorney Rich Chiapete. However, after the filing of the criminal complaint and initial appearance Wednesday — which were handled by the Racine County District Attorney’s Office — a special prosecutor will be brought in from Waukesha County, Chiapete said.owe is expected back in court on May Infant dies while sleeping with caretaker By Sharif Durhams of the Journal Sentinel Posted: Apr. 20, 2009 8:22 a.m. A 2-month-old died Sunday after a caretaker who was sleeping with the infant rolled over on the child. The incident was reported Sunday afternoon in the 5000 block of W. Hopkins St., according to Milwaukee police. Preliminary indications are that the death was accidental and caused by co-sleep – when an adult sleeps with a baby and then rolls over on the child, suffocating them, police said Monday. If the preliminary results hold true, it would be the third co-sleeping death of a Milwaukee infant since early March. Six-day-old Ceianna Buchanan was found dead March 8 in her home in the 2900 block of N. 29th St. She appeared to have been smothered. Another 3-month-old died April 5 after his grandmother apparently smothered him while they slept on a couch.       Mother Accused Of Killing Baby Will Stand Trial Talieda Lewis Pleaded Not Guilty POSTED: 3:51 pm CDT April 13, 2009 UPDATED: 4:44 pm CDT April 13, 2009 MILWAUKEE -- A Milwaukee woman charged with killing her 4-month-old son will go to trial. Talieda Lewis pleaded not guilty to second-degree reckless homicide. Monday, court officials found there is enough evidence for Lewis to stand trial. Police said she told them that she shook her son last month because she wanted to sleep and he wouldn't stop crying. The baby died of brain injuries. If convicted, Lewis faces up to 25 years in prison.

Day Care Van Driver Charged In Baby's Death

POSTED: 12:57 pm CDT April 14, 2009
UPDATED: 7:39 pm CDT April 14, 2009

MILWAUKEE -- A Milwaukee man has been charged in the death of a 4-month-old boy who was left unattended on a van last week.

Precious "Fitz" Marney, 44, is charged with one count of child left unattended in child care vehicle resulting in death of child. Jalen Knox-Perkins was found dead in the day care van on Thursday at Bumble Bee Learning Center near 76th Street and Capitol Drive. He had been left there for about four hours. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office said the baby's cause of death was hyperthermia due to environmental heat exposure. Investigators said that in two readings, the van temperature registered at more than 102 degrees on their thermometer. According to the criminal complaint, the baby's father, Marcus Perkins, said Marney was not the normal van driver, but it was not the first time he had picked up the boy up. Marney strapped Jalen's car seat in the van in the seat directly behind and to the right of the driver, according to the criminal complaint Prosecutors said Marney told them Jalen was his last run of that morning. He parked the van and went inside with his belongings, without Jalen. Marney realized that he left Jalen behind. He cried and panicked and told another driver, "oh God, don’t tell me I left this baby in the van". "I know he's sorry, but that's not going to bring Jalen back," said Jalen's grandmother Remona Williams. If convicted, Marney could face up to 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine. A cash bail of $1,500 was set, and if Marney posts that amount, he would be turned over to GPS monitoring Prosecutors said that Marney was a driver for the Bumble Bee Learning center since January, but he started the route with Jalen three days before. Workers told Police that it’s the driver’s responsibility to check the van. But Jalen’s grandmother said that the baby’s father wants more action taken. "He really wanted the owner to be charged for this. I really believe it was her responsibility too, to check that list, seeing that Jalen was there. Someone should have went outside and double checked," said Williams. Williams also said that the owner has not sent condolences or anything to the family. The Bumble Bee Learning Center and Alphabet Street, another day care facility with the same owner, have been closed pending the Department of Children and Families’ investigation.