Ron Tata and sister Jessica Tata (Houston Chronicle. YouTube for Second Baptist: Is this the same Ron Tata with "Underground Ministries"?
Posted on 03/01/2011 1:15:57 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
.........."How in the hell did they let this happen?" asked a furious Tracy Storms, grandmother of 3-year-old Shomari Leon Dickerson, who died in the fire. "She killed four children. That was enough to keep her in custody. She was negligent for seven children and she killed four. This is ridiculous."
Seven children were in Tata’s care at the home-based day care she operated in west Houston when a fire broke out Thursday. Four of the children died. Two are being treated at Shriners Hospital for Children-Galveston in critical but stable condition.
Investigators believe the fire started on top of the electric stove in the kitchen, where a pot filled with oil had been left unattended, according to court documents. The documents allege that Tata had left the children without any adult supervision at the time.
The charge Tata faces is a second-degree felony punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison. Bond was set at $500,000.
Campbell explained that arson investigators have full police power to make arrests within the department’s jurisdiction, but HFD did not receive a signed warrant until Monday afternoon, two days after Tata reportedly left Texas en route to Nigeria.
Arson investigators first brought what they thought was convincing evidence to the DA’s office on Friday morning: in-store video showing Tata at a nearby Target, shopping at the time of the Thursday fire. They also had two eyewitnesses say Tata drove up to the day care, when it was already on fire.
But the DA’s office told HFD to keep investigating, said Fire Marshal Richard Galvan, who oversees HFD’s arson investigation division......
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
But the DA's office told HFD that only proved that Tata was not at home. Investigators were told on Friday to contact the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to make sure Tata was the sole proprietor and did not have any other staff who could have been in the house at the time.
They were also told to interview more relatives of the children.
When they did and returned Friday afternoon, they were told again by the DA's office that they didn't have enough evidence.
Then HFD informed prosecutors they had a tip Tata was preparing to leave the United States.
"Investigator Ruben Hernandez called the DA's office," Galvan said. As a Houston police sergeant listened, Hernandez informed an assistant district attorney that a Crime Stopper's tip indicated Tata was preparing to flee the country and that she was a flight risk.
"It was a little frustrating for us," said Galvan.
Arson investigators went back and conducted more interviews and returned on Saturday. Again they were told there was not enough proof that another adult was not in the house at the time.
So they went out again on Sunday.
Galvan said he is still not clear what convinced the DA's office to file charges.
"I don't know what the last piece of the puzzle was for them to accept the charges," Galvan said......" [end excerpt]
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Story gives more detail of how the suspect and her family stalled the investigation and how the DA's office kept making investigators run in circles.
[excerpt] ".....Tata's brother, Ron Tata, has denied that his sister had left the toddlers, who ranged in age from about 16 months to 3 years, when the fire occurred, saying she had gone to the bathroom and passed out when she saw the house filling with smoke.
A law enforcement source has said "there's no question she went shopping." An eyewitness said Saturday that he saw Tata arrive at the day care in a van, then watched as she carried a bag of groceries to the door. When she opened the door, smoke rushed out and she began screaming for help.
"It doesn't add up," said Daniel Tantua, the church's choir director, who said Tata was known for being responsible with children...." [end excerpt] Source
"....Eyewitness account
He said he watched Tata pull into the driveway and calmly carry groceries to the front door.
"She opened the door and smoke came rushing out. She ran toward us screaming, 'Help me! Help me! The kids are inside!' " Chestnut said. "She looked like she really, really did care about the kids."
Chestnut called 911, and he and a friend ran toward the home as Tata, he said, screamed hysterically outside the house, pleading for help and explaining that the toddlers were in cribs.
Rescue attempts
Chestnut's friend, Goeffrey Deshano, saw a little boy through a window. Deshano, Chestnut said, broke a window trying to get to the child but was forced back by heavy smoke.
Chestnut entered through the back door, crawling and squinting, trying to improve his vision through the smoke. He saw flames coming from the stove and heard sounds that haunt him since.
"I could hear children screaming from everywhere. I couldn't tell which way to go," he said.
But Chestnut quickly became overwhelmed by the smoke, he said, and had to retreat. "I keep hearing kids screaming in my head when I'm sleeping," said Chestnut.
According to a recent ad on Craigslist, Jackie's Child Care touted itself as "an awesome pre-school, where are children start at the tender age of 30 months and attend to age 5. Our curriculum is one of the best in town, its Montessori style, where every child learns at their own pace. In addition to the regular basic Pre-K curriculum we also teach: Science, Bible Stories, Spanish, Early Reading, and so much more." [end excerpt]
Ron Tata and sister Jessica Tata (Houston Chronicle. YouTube for Second Baptist: Is this the same Ron Tata with "Underground Ministries"?
Who was protecting this woman from prosecution? The brother seems a rising star.
It takes a village...
Did deep enough and I bet you find Quannell X or Queen Sheila running interference for this mass murderer.
Someone is covering up something.
Was this 22 year old woman caring for 7 toddler/infants without help?
Why was it necessary for her to risk leaving them alone to go to the store?
Is she incompetent or were others supposed to be helping?
Did someone drop the ball?
Others must be liable in this criminal death of four and permanent injury to two more, to necessitate this cover up stall and the”vanishing act” of the 22 year old.
Oh, but they are better parents than anyone else because...because, well because the PC Nazi’s tell us that anyone other than white parents are better for our children.
Houston is full of third-worlders who don’t know that you don’t leave infants and toddlers in a house with oil cooking on the stove. It is a sanctuary city....a swamp of Progressive political correctness that elected a lesbian mayor, so outrageous events such as this one will occur from time to time.
I doubt HFD or the DA actually thought that she could scram out of the country that quickly, but even so: Anyone who thinks that race WASN’T a factor in the delays in getting a warrant for her has no clue how 21st century America works.
As it is, I’m just as glad that she’s gone. Quannell and his type would have turned her trial into a circus, she’s not coming back here (England, no doubt, will welcome her), and she saved us probably a million dollars (if not more) in incarceration and trial costs. [ and best of all, some legal-eagle, just graduated from a B, or lower law school, will still NOT have a job...as a public defender in this case ].
Another Nigerian Scam that kills 4 and the Nigerian husband and wife flee back to Nigeria after the bilked the people of money and seek sanctuary where they are unable to be extradited and live a life of luxury in Lagos. There it is the American Dream as promised by Van Jones - reparations to the Third World Oil Rich Country of Nigeria. the former slave port whereby slaves from the interior of Africa were kidnapped by the tribes of Nigeria and sold into slavery to the West Indies. Thats right reparations to a a country that focuses on one thing Scams on Americans, you name it they strive to do it.
What is the immigration status of this woman from Nigeria?
If they knew she was a flight risk, why not notify ICE to hold her at the airport?
Oh my. I’d hate to live with that picture & sound in my head for the rest of my life.
What a horrible fire. Those poor families.
Good luck getting her back from Nigeria. she will be sunk in the swamp that is Nigeria.
If the only people voting were taxpayers the score would be different. If the goobermint wasn't cramming our neighborhoods full of Section 8 freeloaders, less outrageous events would occur.
Illegals have taken over a nearby park. Why ? Because the goobermint bought an unused compartment house and filled it full of the scum.
Why this woman was allowed to escape to Nigeria is an excellent question.
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