Posted on 10/28/2005 11:21:42 AM PDT by JZelle
A 7-week-old child is in intensive care after his foster mother repeatedly slapped, shook and dropped him, the U.S. Attorney's Office said yesterday. Authorities charged Tanya Jenkins, of the unit block of Bass Circle in Southeast, with first-degree cruelty to children after she acknowledged what she had done to try to quiet the child. Miss Jenkins was arrested Tuesday by Metropolitan Police Department officers and is expected to appear this morning before D.C. Superior Court Judge Wendell Gardner Jr. Miss Jenkins said she dropped the child six or seven times while trying to change him or after giving him a bath and that she shook him numerous times, according to court documents. However, she said that each time she dropped the child, "it was by accident," according to the documents. In the interview with police, Miss Jenkins said she shook and struck the child out of frustration "because he would not stop crying."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Poor kid.
Don't know about D.C., but we just went thru the licensure training to get a foster license. They do a background check, some reference checking, and some training about the kind of kids you might get. A lunatic might still get through, though.
Hard to imagine someone thinking "He won't stop crying - I'll rough him up a bit - THAT will show him!"
I am amending that list to include anyone who harms a defenseless infant in such a fashion.
May God forgive me for saying so, but I hope this bitch burns in Hell.
Mama, you're hurting me...
"Police could not give the woman's age."
Why in God's name was this child placed in the 'care' of some apparently underage animal ? She should be charged with murder and executed if this poor infant dies, which according to the article is very likely.
I don't think she was a lunatic, she was just utterly unprepared and unsuccessful at caring for this infant. Who knows if it was completely her lack of skill, or if it was also a very distressed baby with symptoms of drug addiction. She reached her wits-end once, she attempted to bring the baby back, and they convinced her to keep trying.
I don't excuse that she completely lost it. But it isn't outside the realm of human frailty to completely lose it. We all can.
The child had been in this woman's care since he was three days old. Sources said she had attempted to return the infant to the agency and that immediate action needs to be taken against the employees of the agency who encouraged her to take the baby back.
The infant has multiple injuries consistent with shaken baby syndrome (including hemorrhaging and swelling of the brain) and also a skull fracture and bruising under one of his eyes... sources said he is not expected to live through the week.
Prayers for the little one...
I think they let you keep the kid if you promise not to home school.
Sources with Child and Family Services Agency, under the condition of anonymity, said Miss Jenkins had attempted to return the infant to the agency. "The woman came back and told people in the agency that the baby cried all the time, and she couldn't get any sleep," the sources said. . . . "If true, it's unacceptable by anyone's definition," said D.C. Council member Adrian M. Fenty, Ward 4 Democrat and chairman of the Committee on Human Services. "Immediate action needs to be taken against the employees of [the agency] who would've encouraged the mom to take the baby back."
It doesn't excuse what she did, but mitigates a bit IMO. She tried to tell the people who placed the baby with her that she couldn't handle it, and they basically told her to quit whining and keep the baby. In NYC I've seen public service signs advertising for people who are afraid they're going to lose it with their OWN children, to call some agency which will take their child into care for a brief period to give the parent(s) a break, and provide some counseling assistance for the parent(s). Certainly people who take in foster children should have the option of returning the children to the agency if they find they're in over their heads.
The agencies, of course, have no place better to put these kids, and no doubt that's why they wouldn't take this baby back. Newt was right -- we need to bring back orphanages.
Bless his tiny soul. What a cruel world he was born into.
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