Tagged: child abuse

A Clarksville babysitter has been charged with abusing a 2-month-old boy. Police say Jessica Watkins turned herself in Saturday and is facing charges of aggravated child abuse and neglect. The infant was taken to Vanderbilt Medical Center for multiple broken bones last month. Watkins called the boy’s mother and said he had a swollen leg. She told the police the infant’s leg popped when she took him out of the car while babysitting him. The police issued a warrant for Watkins and Montgomery County jail officials say she is being held on a $50,000 bond.

Today on NPR:

The end of the Labor Day holiday marks the beginning of the 2012 Presidential race's last lap.

In Kentucky:

A state report released late last week says at least 22 Kentucky children died in the past fiscal year as a result of abuse and neglect.  But the annual report from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services says the deaths have decreased in recent years.  Thirty-one children died from abuse deaths in 2011, 36 in 2010, 29 in 2009 and 30 in 2008.  Child advocates say the drop is good news, but 22 is still too many.  Governor Steve Beshear created a panel of 17 experts this year to review all child deaths and near-deaths stemming from abuse or neglect.

A new panel created by Governor Steve Beshear will review child death and near-death cases in Kentucky. Beshear’s executive order is being called a step in the right direction.

Much progress has been made in the past fifty years to identify and prevent child abuse. Last week the Journal of the American Medical Association updated its 1962 original publication which introduced the Battered Child Syndrome. This ground breaking study broadened the term “child abuse” to include “child maltreatment,” encouraged the development of child protective services agencies, and changed the way physicians cared for children with injuries.

14 counts of criminal abuse and five counts of wanton endangerment have been filed against a Warren County couple who left 19 children unattended for nearly a week.