By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
A Hanover man, Raymond Messinger, 46, was arrested on allegations that he sexually molested 3 children. The children, an eight-year-old girl and two seven-year-old girls, were enrolled at Bretzman Daycare Center, where Messinger was a volunteer and the alleged abuse took place. On May 28, police received information from Adams County Children and Youth Services and immediately started an investigation. Messinger was removed from the daycare facility the following business day. A separate and independent investigation is being conducted on the daycare by the state Department of Public Welfare.
The number one cause of injury-related death in New York City is motor vehicle accidents. According to annual reports released by the State of New York Department of Health, 1,535 children died in New York City, of those 445 deaths were caused by injuries and 106 were killed by motor vehicles. The overwhelming majority of children killed by motor vehicles were walking at the time they were fatally struck, the others were riding bicycles or scooters. Although New York automobile accidents seem to be the cause of injury-related death to New York City children, the state’s number of deaths is relatively low when compared to the national average. In fact, New York City has just 1/3 of the transportation-related child fatalities that the nation’s average has. The primary reason being that so many New Yorkers rely on public transportation. Therefore, the public transportation system in New York City keeps children safer from automobile accidents than they otherwise would be.
As parents head off to work and school this summer they leave their children in the care of daycare providers. Below is safety and health suggestion parents should look for in daycare facilities.
Sheri Lyn Davis, a former Houston Charter School teacher, was formally charged with causing injury to a child for the April beating of a student in Davis’ classroom, while a fellow faculty member watched. Two of the school’s administrators, Principal David Jones and Superintendent Ollie Hilliard, and the other teacher, Gabriel Moseley, were indicted for neglecting to report abuse. The incident was captured on a student’s cell phone. The recording led to the firing of both teachers, Davis and Moseley. According to authorities, Davis, 40, repeatedly pummeled and kicked the victim, Isaiah Reagins, a 13-year-old child, after Reagins allegedly laughed at a mentally challenged student. The video recording shows Davis continuously slapping and kicking Reagins. If convicted, Jones, Hilliard, and Moseley could face up to one year in jail; Davis could get anywhere from 2-10 years in prison.
A church bus crashed and rolled onto Interstate 35 in Franklin County, Missouri, injuring nine children. The victims ranged in age from 8-17, three of which suffered critical injuries. One child was flown to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri and the other two were taken by ambulance. Five other children suffered from serious injuries, said authorities.
A school district is Massachusetts implemented a new school policy that makes condoms available to all students, including elementary students. Peter Grosso, Provincetown School Board Chairman, explained that because there is no set age for when children decide to become sexually active, the committee refrained from setting an age for condom availability. Under the policy, a student who requests a condom from a school nurse must receive counseling first, which includes information on abstinence; the policy does require the parents to be contacted. The policy was approved by Provincetown’s school committee on June 10 and will take effect in the fall. The policy is receiving widespread criticisms. For example, Kris Mineau, president of the conservative Massachusetts Family Institute, called the idea absurd. To read more on this story see 
Cody Sartin, a suspect in the killing of his ex-girlfriend’s 3-year-old boy, Jace Burgess, was arrested and charged with first degree murder by Tulsa County prosecutors. Jace suffered serious personal injuries and was rushed to a hospital with a massive brain injury. According to officers, the child also had several bruises covering his entire body: shoulders, thighs, forehead, chin and a broken toe. Jace died as a result of the massive brain injury. Investigators believe that Sartin was babysitting Jace when the injury occurred; however, Sartin claims the injury was an accident.
Taneshea Young, former owner of a Paducah child care center, has been scheduled for trials in state and federal court. During a hearing in McCracken District court, Young’s attorney asked that his client’s abuse case be tried after the September 13 federal trial. The motion was granted by judge Tony Kitchen, the state abuse trial is set for September 24. In state court, Young will defend against a third-degree abuse charge. The charges were filed against Young after employees of an automobile dealership found a 3-year-old sleeping in a Children’s Creative Learning Center van, which was brought in for service. The federal trial involves charges of mail fraud. To read more on this story see 
A 30-year-old woman and 52-year-old man were arrested in Ypsilanti, Michigan after authorities found the couple pushing a baby stroller holding two young boys with containers of alcohol and a bayonet inside the stroller. A statement by police said that police were called after the woman was observed trying to remove a bicycle off of a porch at 1:30 a.m, Friday, July 2. The two boys were 1-year and 4-years-old. The officers described the weapon as a “double-edged bayonet.” the children were turned over to a relative and charges are pending. To read more on this story see 
Swimming accidents left three people dead, as a result of drowning, across the State of New York on Saturday, July 3. Fajir Javid, 9, of New York City had been camping at the Willington Lake Campground in Willington, New York with her family, other children and adults involved in a scouting organization. Javid was swimming with adults and other children when one of them noticed her missing. Adults immediately began searching for Javid while others called police. About 45 minutes after the Willington Fire Department and emergency divers arrived, Javid was found. Javid was located in about 10 feet of water, 25-30 feet off shore. The girl was taken to Johnson Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Ursula Lerse, 85, a resident of New Milford, New York, drowned while swimming in Candlewood Lake. Lerse was found by a firefighter about 20 feet from shore. Juan C. Lopez of Jamaica, New York drowned while swimming at Bull’s Bridge. You can read more about this at