Ohio mom charged with felony child sunburning (1 Viewer)

[Michael*K]

Note to all you parents out there...better stock up on the Coppertone.
Mom Charged in Children's Sunburns

 

[Dennis Reno]

I feel... a lock coming soon.

 

[Scott Leopold]

For a second, I thought this was going to be a thread about the parents who were arrested a few weeks back for tying or taping their son to a lawn chair and leaving him in the hot sun to burn as a punishment (don't have a link to the story, heard about it on the evening news). In that case, I say do the same to the parents. In this case, I'm not sure I'd punish a mother for taking her kids to the fair. Sure, it may be a bit irresponsible not to use sunscreen, but I used to burn like crazy when I was a kid, and very seldom used it. I once burnt so bad my entire back was a deep purple. Since then, I've not been very sympathetic when it comes to the sunburns of others.

 

[KyleS]

I feel... a lock coming soon

Maybe, topics like this can be discussed without having them degrade into a complaint fest. This women and parents need to be held accountable for their actions. As a new parent of a 9month old this sickens me and I see it every week when parents have their kids in strollers without any hats, sun screen, or cover for them going down the road usually with 2 or 3 others in tow. What needs to happen is that we as citizens need to stand up and turn these people in the the authorities so the children can eventually be saved and taken away.

KyleS

 

[Todd Hochard]

Abdalla said Jefferson County Children's Services had been contacted about Hibbits' children in the past.

...Always more to the story.

I'm guessing that perhaps there is a history of neglect?? Anyway, given what we know today about sunburns, you've got to be especially stupid to let a sunburn go that far. Although, the 15 year thing seems way over the top.

Todd

 

[MikeAlletto]

What needs to happen is that we as citizens need to stand up and turn these people in the the authorities so the children can eventually be saved and taken away.

No, what needs to happen is the parents need to be educated better. And people need to stop sticking their noses into other peoples business by threatening to take their children away if they don't do something someone else doesn't like. If this were the 70s, 80s, or early 90s noone would care. But these days everyone has to have some say in everyone elses personal space.

 

[Andrew_Sch]

Yes I think fifteen years is a bit excessive for letting your kids get sunburned.:frowning: I mean, most drug dealers don't get fifteen years for a first offense, so what the heck? Actually, I think any jail-time for something as stupid and petty as this is ridiculous. A fine and maybe required attendence of some sort of parenting classes would be sufficient punishment, IMO.

 

[Dennis Reno]

Kyle,

I agree with you completely. I too am the father of a nine month old and the things I see in public make my blood boil sometimes. Its incredible how stupid and irresponsible people can be with their children. True accidents are one thing, but negligence should be punished severely if only for the sake of the child.

 

[Scott Leopold]

I missed the part about Children Services being contacted in the past, but I agree with Todd that there's always more to the story. The daycare we used to send our son to used Children Services to punish parents they didn't like, or who reported them for stuff they had done. We weren't aware of this, and reported them for several things we saw (classful of children being left alone so one lady could take a nap, threats made against my then 5 year old son by the lady in charge). Within a week, we'd been reported, and even though we were 100% innocent, we had to go the humiliation of having an investigator come to our house and put us through a long line of questioning. Following the advice of the investigator, we chose not to file a formal complaint (this probably would have led to them filing another complaint against us which would have been acted on quicker and would have caused much more problems for us), removed our son from the daycare center after a few weeks so it didn't look too suspicious (other parents had been reported after taking their children out of daycare after a dispute with the ladies there), waited a year then wrote a lengthy, anonymous letter to the priest & the principal (the daycare was through the parish school). I've since found out that many other parents have gone through the same thing, while others who were abusing their kids were never reported since they weren't complaining (one kid came in wiht cigar burns on his arms and back, while another came in with a black eye and busted lip & nose). So there definitely is more to each story, but just because she'd been reported in the past doesn't mean she really has a past history of abuse. We were at Disney World two years ago, and even though we applied sunburn throughout the day each day we were at the parks, by the end of the week my son and I both looked like boiled lobsters. I personally think some people overreact to stuff they really think ought to be their business.

 

[Ryan Wright]

It's a damn sunburn. Give me a break here.
Now, if they were dehydrated and suffering because she wasn't giving them water, or if she just left them out to roast in a stroller while she sat in the shade or otherwise cooled herself off, then yes, she's a bad parent and deserves whatever the state can throw at her.
But the fair? She pushed a stroller around the fair and her children got sunburnt? My wife has really light skin and turns red like a lobster after less than an hour in the sun - and she uses the strongest sunscreen money can buy. Perhaps her parents should have been arrested for taking her to the fair and letting her have fun?
Yes, the little ones should have been covered in some way. But perhaps they were too busy looking at the goats and cows and eating food, etc, and they got a sunburn. Really, we need more information:
Were they asleep in the stroller and she forgot to cover their little heads up? If so, she hardly deserves to be arrested. A nice long chat would more than suffice.
Were they awake and having fun, and just got burnt? If so, it's nobody's damn business. All children get sunburns. Let it go.
In either case (above), the state should not be involved.
Were the children awake, crying from the pain and thirst while the mother neglected them? If so, throw her ass in jail and give the kids to someone who will take care of them.
But it sounds to me like she was spending quality time with her children at the fair....

 

[KyleS]

Yes, the little ones should have been covered in some way

I guess this is why I feel she should be held accountable.(though 15 years for 1 offense is a bit much IMO) She could have used sunscreen, shade, hats, or leave and get out of the shade. As a parent it is her responsibility to make sure they are ok and getting 2nd degree burns is not OK. It's like when I lived in Las Vegas there was a mother who forgot her baby in the car for 3 hours. It did die and she didnt even get charged.
Society needs to get more involved with kids today even if its not theirs. We need to support children in every way even if it means turning parents in who have made mistakes because we cant tell if it was a one time incident or a Reoccurring incident. From the sounds of this lady it was the latter which means the cop did the right thing.
KyleS

 

[Mark Pfeiffer]

The radio report I heard about this mentioned that she had put an afghan over the kids' legs and that one had a collapsed lung. No mention of that in this article, so perhaps I have things confused, but I think the arrest was for a little more than a mild sunburn.

Situations like these really can be difficult calls. I read in the paper a couple weeks ago that a woman was arrested for leaving her child (I don't remember the age) in the car while she was shopping during a hot day. Someone came by and briefly waited to see if someone returned to the car and then called the police. That sounded somewhat extreme to me, but I think the kid's temperature was over 100 degrees when they took him or her out.

 

[Scott Gilbert]

How many of you would walk up to a stranger at the county fair and say, your kids look a little sun burnt shouldn’t you get them out of the sun? Or stop hitting that kid. I know I have and I know my wife would but not all the time. I really dislike Hillary Clinton, but I do agree with “it takes a village”. We take it for granted that we understand the right and wrong things to do. However some people did not learn these things since they have never been taught. We need to help them. Not by taxes and teaching them to be tree huggers. We need to point out problems if we see them. If we are seated at a crummy table say something. So back to this story this lady is in jail for her kids being sun burnt. Are the kids going to remember the sunburn or mom being in jail?

 

[Todd Hochard]

That sounded somewhat extreme to me

Which part? Calling the police, or leaving the kid in the first place?
Personally, I would have called the police immediately, and then broken the window, and pulled the child out. Several kids die every summer here from this sort of thing. As they say, "not on my watch." As for prosecution of this offense, I have no real opinion. As odd as it seems, sometimes people just forget.
In the case of the sunburn, it's better to be safe than sorry. I had several sunburns as a kid, but never any 2nd degree that needed medical treatment. And, the worst of my sunburns were in the ABSENCE of my parents (e.g. at a friend's house/pool), not their presence.
AND, as I said before, that was then- this is now. Maya Angelou once said, "We did what we knew to do. When we know better, we do better." In this case, we know better. Some seem to think this shouldn't even be an issue- I disagree. I also disagree with the potential punishment. I'm not sure how they'll prove willful neglect with regard to the sunburn, unless she has a history of this type of behavior. But, IMO, this is still below the level of those who hit (not spank, but HIT) their children. And, many of those abusers still have custody.
Disclosure- I have a 15-month old daughter.
I reserve the right to change my mind as the story fills in.
Todd

 

[eric holm]

There has to more to the story.

A sunburn is not something that is that big of deal. One stinkin sunburn?

Who here has never been suburnt? I think the fact that it occurred while the mom was clearly trying to do something for the kids (taking them to the fair) far outweighs the neglect.

 

[Joseph S]

1 Second Degree Burn + 1 Collapsed Lung = Negligence in my book


There's a big difference between a burn and a 2nd degree burn. When I had a second degree burn over my legs, back, neck, chest, and arms there was next to nothing I could do that wouldn't result in a broken blister and pain. This child is then prone to subsequent infections. For well over a week I was in constant pain and when that was done my skin fragments littered every place I walked.

A one year old child has no control over the "choice" to wear sunscreen or get out of the sun. This is not something that should be let go without a warning by the doctor and in the case of an infant with 2nd degree burns and another with a collapsed lung there is certainly a case for severe neglect.

 

[Henry Gale]

...the mom was clearly trying to do something for the kids...

The 10 month old twins were no doubt getting as much out of the fair as the 2nd place peach preserves.
This woman is a breeder, not a mother.
I see them everyday, everywhere.
Seatbelts? Who knew?
Second hand smoke? That's just an unproven theory.
Skin cancer from cumulative exposure to the sun? Come on!
We all got burnt a few times.
Wait a minute, what's this new ugly mole on my nose?

 

[MickeS]

Yeah, let's make sure the children grow up with their mother in prison for 15 years. That'll make everything better.

/Mike

 

[Michael*K]

Update: The baby was born with the collapsed lung and the county prosecutor reduced the charges to a misdemeanor because the kids weren't as severly injured as originally thought.
This lady spent 8 days in jail. It took prosecutors eight days to figure out the kids actually didn't have second degree burns? Disgraceful. This lady would probably still be sitting in jail if it wasn't for the publicity brought on by the news story.

 

[Dave E H]

Disgraceful. This lady would probably still be sitting in jail if it wasn't for the publicity brought on by the news story.

Agreed.

It's ridiculous that some taxpayer's money was wasted on this. Besides, it probably didn't help the kids at all - either now, or long term. The lady probably didn't learn anything about proper child care, and the kids got deprived of their mom for 8 days.

Sad.