Latest news with #NationalChildAbusePrevention
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Yahoo
County highlights Child Abuse Prevention Month
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) — Mesa County and other Grand Valley organizations are taking part in highlighting National Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) month. 'Child abuse happens anywhere and everywhere, really,' says Grand Junction Police Department (GJPD) Detective Lauren Archuleta. 'I've handled some cases where it's in a daycare setting, in a school setting or in a private home setting.' WesternSlopeNow recently reported on a child abuse case involving online child sexual exploitative material. The man was arrested after multiple tips. These are the types of cases the GJPD works on. Archuleta says officers are trained by the Western Slope Center for Children to work on these delicate cases. 'We have a lot of trainings that they (Western Slope Center for Children) host monthly, so, we can stay up to date on the current practices for investigating child abuse cases and making sure that we are in the know.' The Western Slope Center for Children opened in 1997 and has had a relationship with the GJPD since then. Executive Director for the Western Slope Center for Children Scott Barker says, since opening its doors, the center has served more than 22,000 children and their families who have gone through abuse and neglect scenarios. In 2024, the center recorded 281 visits. Barker anticipates that annual number to go up. 'We just got done with our stats through March, for quarter one, we've seen 89 children through the course of the year thus far, puts us on pace for about 360 total for the year.' The center offers victim advocacy services, forensic interviewing, medical exams and mental health treatment. Division Director for the Child Welfare and Adult Protection for the Mesa County Department of Human Services Joe Kellerby says if you or someone you know is a victim of abuse, call their hotline. 'Our child protection hotline is 24 hours a day, seven days a week at (970) 242-1211.' Helpful websites are listed below. Home Page | Center for Children Child Protection | Mesa County Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
USA Today
13-04-2025
- USA Today
Woman who reportedly fostered 200 kids accused of leaving girl at exotic animal collector
Woman who reportedly fostered 200 kids accused of leaving girl at exotic animal collector Brenda Ruth Deutsch was given a bond of $250,000. Show Caption Hide Caption National Child Abuse Awareness Month The month of April is National Child Abuse Prevention month. Learn more about the immediate and long-term effects on a child's physical and mental health. Fox - Ktvu A Missouri woman is facing abuse and neglect charges after being accused of paddling and abandoning a girl with an exotic animal collector in Texas. Brenda Ruth Deutsch, 70, was arrested on April 7 and charged with two counts of abuse or neglect of a child, and one count of endangering the welfare of a child, Missouri court records show. The alleged crimes involved a girl under the age of 18, and occurred between Sept. 1, 2022, and Jan. 1, 2025, in Lincoln County, Missouri, a criminal complaint reads. In a probable cause statement obtained by USA TODAY, a peace officer with the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office wrote that the allegations against Deutsch were sparked by an anonymous tip received by the state Department of Social Services on Nov. 26, 2024, reporting alleged physical and mental abuse of a child. Deutsch has fostered more than 200 children over the last 15 to 20 years, Lincoln County Prosecutor Mike Wood told NBC News and KSDK. According to the prosecutor and court documents, Deustsch is also being investigated in connection with allegations of leaving the girl she's accused of abusing with a fellow exotic animal collector in Texas and refusing to take her back. Deutsch was given a bond of $250,000, Missouri court records show. She did not have a defense attorney listed in court records on Saturday. Girl told authorities Deutsch 'hit her with a lot of different things' During a mobile forensic interview on Dec. 4, 2024, the middle school-aged girl told authorities Deutsch "hit her with a lot of different things," the probable cause statement says. The girl described some of the objects as a paddle, trim and shoes, the court document says. The girl also alleged that Deutsch "smacked" her on the nose so hard one time it caused it to bleed, according to the probable cause statement. The girl told authorities that she spoke to multiple people about the abuse but no one believed her. The girl recalled an incident when one of Deutsch's family members held her down while Deutsch hit her on her bare bottom with a paddle, the probable cause document says. She said the hitting stopped when she stopped moving and was just quiet, so she just stayed still so the hitting would stop, according to the court filing. Girl reported missing from school, located in Texas The girl's absence from school in Missouri sparked an investigation Feb. 6, 2025, the probable cause document states. The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office was told she was with the collector in Texas, according to the probable cause document. When an investigator contacted the Eastland Sheriff's Office in Texas, he spoke with the girl who said she was enrolled in school there, the probable cause document states. Authorities then spoke to the individual who was keeping the girl in Texas, and she claimed to be friends with Deutsch and helping her out because she and the child "were not getting along," the court document says. The woman also said she didn't wish to keep the child, but was forced to because Deutsch would not pay for a plane ticket to get the girl back home, the probable cause document says. The girl told deputies with the Eastland Sheriff's Office that the woman she was staying with didn't abuse her, but left her alone at the Texas home for a few days at a time to take care of her exotic animals, according to the court document. The woman would do this when she was out of town for work. Court docs: Girl barely had clothes, did not eat much while at Deutsch's home When speaking to authorities during a second forensic interview, the girl said Deutsch would take her clothes and belongings and put them in Goodwill boxes so she could donate them, according to the court document. This led to the girl barely having any clothing. The girl also said she was not fed well while at Deutsch's home, so she had to resort to stealing food because her daily sandwiches were not enough, the probable cause document says. She added that she didn't feel safe at the Deutsch's house and "ran away a lot" but always had to go back. The child told authorities that when Deutsch told the woman in Texas she could keep the girl, the foster mother said she'd "be keeping the check," per the probable cause document.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Yahoo
Hundreds of pinwheels planted in Las Vegas for child abuse prevention month
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — April is National Child Abuse Prevention month, and Las Vegas's Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program held its annual pinwheel event at Family Court on North Pecos Road. Volunteers, court staff, judges, and child welfare partners planted hundreds of pinwheels to shed light on the reality of how many children in the area are affected. 'In Clark County, we have over 3,500 kids in the foster system,' CASA volunteer Kelly Hernandez said. 'So there's a need for everybody to be aware of them and for us to make sure that they have safe homes.' CASA volunteers are court-appointed special advocates who speak on behalf of children in the foster care system. 'The more we can promote letting everyone know about the issues of child abuse and how it affects children growing up, we can get it implanted in the system so that we can stop the cycle ourselves,' Keith Fiandra, who has been volunteering with CASA for five years now, said. Judge Margaret Pickard with Judicial District Court 8 told 8 New Now that issues like child abuse are congruent to other problems like mental health, domestic violence, and drugs. 'We have an overwhelming problem with meth and fentanyl in our community, and as a result we have a lot of parents coming in with drug issues,' the judge said. She continued, 'Of our six judges, we have, every six weeks, we each spend two weeks full-time on 24-hour warrant duty, because it's so common in our community that kiddos are experiencing abuse or neglect.' CASA is always looking for volunteers, and applications are available on their website. There is a minimum two year commitment required. After being accepted into the program, there is a five-week training period. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
