Teen charged in abandoned newborn case
By Kat Russell, Reporter
The Paducah Sun
August 1, 2015
http://www.paducahsun.com/news/local/080115_PS_Baby_Folo
Less than 12 hours after a newborn baby was found in a dumpster Thursday afternoon near an apartment complex in Paducah, McCracken County detectives made an arrest.
Sheriff Jon Hayden said a 17-year-old male was arrested around 2 a.m. Friday in Paducah.
According to Hayden, the lead on the teen’s possible involvement stemmed from a call placed to emergency dispatch around 8 p.m. Thursday reporting a medical emergency at a residence near Berger Road and Goodman Drive, not far from where the baby was found.
When EMS responded, they found a 15-year-old girl who had given birth hours earlier, officials said, and the sheriff’s office was contacted.
“While detectives investigated that incident, that call, the information that was gleaned from that investigation led us to the juvenile that’s been charged,” Hayden said.
The sheriff also said the girl has been identified as the baby’s mother.
“There is no question, that is her child,” he said. “That’s not being disputed.”
The girl was taken to a hospital where she remains in stable condition, Hayden said.
According to McCracken Detective Capt. Matt Carter, once the suspect was located, he was taken to the sheriff’s department where he was questioned. Carter added that the 17-year-old admitted to placing the infant in the dumpster during the interview.
The teen was charged with attempted murder, first-degree criminal abuse and tampering with physical evidence. He was taken to the McCracken County Juvenile Detention Center.
Hayden said he could not comment on whether the teen is the baby’s father, but did say DNA testing “was already underway.”
County Attorney Sam Clymer, who is reviewing the case along with Commonwealth Attorney Dan Boaz, said it is possible the boy could be tried as an adult.
“I will be reviewing the evidence with our juvenile prosecutor, Jamie Mills, and will meet with Dan Boaz … and we will decide based on the evidence whether this is a case where the facts dictate transferring him to circuit court as an adult,” Clymer said.
Under Kentucky law, the county attorney is required to discuss the case with the commonwealth attorney and obtain his approval to transfer the case from juvenile court. Clymer would then have to file a motion requesting the transfer.
“Under the statute, this particular offense does meet the criteria for my motion to transfer,” Clymer said, “and I am very interested in having that conversation very soon with (Boaz).”
As for the mother, Hayden was not able to say whether she would face charges as well.
“All of the information that we have gleaned from this investigation is being shared with the prosecutor’s office — the county attorney’s office and McCracken County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office — and those decisions will be made at a later time,” he said.
The baby was found shortly after 3:30 p.m. Thursday after a witness reported seeing a “younger” black male place something into the dumpster behind Fernwood Apartments near Loan Oak and Berger roads.
Thinking the situation looked suspicious, the witness waited until the male was leaving the area, then went to see what had been dropped off and discovered the baby.
Deputies arrived at the scene, found the baby was breathing and administered aid until an ambulance arrived, Hayden said.
The baby remains at an area hospital in stable condition.
“The information we’ve received is that the child is doing well,” Hayden said Friday.
The sheriff told The Sun Thursday that with laws in place allowing a parent to relinquish a newborn with “no questions asked,” discarding an infant in such a manner made no sense.
The Kentucky Safe Infant Act, which went into affect in April 2002, guarantees that a parent will not be criminally prosecuted for abandoning an infant so long as the baby is taken to a “safe place” and has not been physically abused or neglected after birth, Clymer said.
According to the law an infant is considered left in a safe place if given to an officer at a police station; a firefighter at a fire station; an emergency medical provider, or a hospital emergency room staff member.
If the parent does not contact social services within 30 days of relinquishing the infant, social services will begin the process of terminating the parent’s rights and making arrangements for adoption.
“The Safe Infants Act is definitely something that needs to be made common knowledge to avoid situations like the one that recently occurred,” Clymer said. “I hope that media coverage ... as well as the social media outcry related to this event, will help get the word out and help protect the lives of infants.”
Contact Kat Russell, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8653.
Sheriff Jon Hayden said a 17-year-old male was arrested around 2 a.m. Friday in Paducah.
According to Hayden, the lead on the teen’s possible involvement stemmed from a call placed to emergency dispatch around 8 p.m. Thursday reporting a medical emergency at a residence near Berger Road and Goodman Drive, not far from where the baby was found.
When EMS responded, they found a 15-year-old girl who had given birth hours earlier, officials said, and the sheriff’s office was contacted.
“While detectives investigated that incident, that call, the information that was gleaned from that investigation led us to the juvenile that’s been charged,” Hayden said.
The sheriff also said the girl has been identified as the baby’s mother.
“There is no question, that is her child,” he said. “That’s not being disputed.”
The girl was taken to a hospital where she remains in stable condition, Hayden said.
According to McCracken Detective Capt. Matt Carter, once the suspect was located, he was taken to the sheriff’s department where he was questioned. Carter added that the 17-year-old admitted to placing the infant in the dumpster during the interview.
The teen was charged with attempted murder, first-degree criminal abuse and tampering with physical evidence. He was taken to the McCracken County Juvenile Detention Center.
Hayden said he could not comment on whether the teen is the baby’s father, but did say DNA testing “was already underway.”
County Attorney Sam Clymer, who is reviewing the case along with Commonwealth Attorney Dan Boaz, said it is possible the boy could be tried as an adult.
“I will be reviewing the evidence with our juvenile prosecutor, Jamie Mills, and will meet with Dan Boaz … and we will decide based on the evidence whether this is a case where the facts dictate transferring him to circuit court as an adult,” Clymer said.
Under Kentucky law, the county attorney is required to discuss the case with the commonwealth attorney and obtain his approval to transfer the case from juvenile court. Clymer would then have to file a motion requesting the transfer.
“Under the statute, this particular offense does meet the criteria for my motion to transfer,” Clymer said, “and I am very interested in having that conversation very soon with (Boaz).”
As for the mother, Hayden was not able to say whether she would face charges as well.
“All of the information that we have gleaned from this investigation is being shared with the prosecutor’s office — the county attorney’s office and McCracken County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office — and those decisions will be made at a later time,” he said.
The baby was found shortly after 3:30 p.m. Thursday after a witness reported seeing a “younger” black male place something into the dumpster behind Fernwood Apartments near Loan Oak and Berger roads.
Thinking the situation looked suspicious, the witness waited until the male was leaving the area, then went to see what had been dropped off and discovered the baby.
Deputies arrived at the scene, found the baby was breathing and administered aid until an ambulance arrived, Hayden said.
The baby remains at an area hospital in stable condition.
“The information we’ve received is that the child is doing well,” Hayden said Friday.
The sheriff told The Sun Thursday that with laws in place allowing a parent to relinquish a newborn with “no questions asked,” discarding an infant in such a manner made no sense.
The Kentucky Safe Infant Act, which went into affect in April 2002, guarantees that a parent will not be criminally prosecuted for abandoning an infant so long as the baby is taken to a “safe place” and has not been physically abused or neglected after birth, Clymer said.
According to the law an infant is considered left in a safe place if given to an officer at a police station; a firefighter at a fire station; an emergency medical provider, or a hospital emergency room staff member.
If the parent does not contact social services within 30 days of relinquishing the infant, social services will begin the process of terminating the parent’s rights and making arrangements for adoption.
“The Safe Infants Act is definitely something that needs to be made common knowledge to avoid situations like the one that recently occurred,” Clymer said. “I hope that media coverage ... as well as the social media outcry related to this event, will help get the word out and help protect the lives of infants.”
Contact Kat Russell, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8653.
