York County Courthouse Nebraska, where Ashley A. Eckard, 29, was found not guilty of Child Abuse.
Jury finds McCool woman not guilty
of Child Abuse
YORK, NE – A York County jury has found a McCool Junction woman not guilty of child abuse.
Ashley A. Eckard, 29, was charged with committing child abuse intentionally/no injury, a Class 3A felony.
Now that she has been found not guilty, the charge has been dismissed.
According to court documents, it was alleged that she burned an 8-year-old child on the hand with a lit cigarette.
According to the affidavit filed with the court, the child told investigators with Health and Human Services and the York County Sheriff’s Department that Eckard intentionally burned her three times.
The child said when she told Eckard she was going to tell other adults what happened, Eckard allegedly grabbed her by the ear and instructed her to say she had gotten hurt sliding down a slide on a bouncy house – according to the court documents.
The sheriff’s department’s investigator said he observed three burns on the child’s hand that were approximately the same size as a cigarette, in his reporting for the affidavit.
The jury was convened, a trial was held and the jury came back with the verdict of not guilty.
AG Paxton’s Child Exploitation Unit Arrests Eagle Lake Man for Possession and Promotion of Child Pornography
AUSTIN, TX – Attorney General Ken Paxton today announced that the Child Exploitation Unit of his office arrested 32-year-old Camron Lee Wood, of Eagle Lake, Texas, on one count of possession of child pornography and one count of promotion of child pornography.
A CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children® (NCMEC) alerted the Child Exploitation Unit to Wood, who reportedly uploaded child pornography to a social media account.
During the execution of a search warrant, investigators found Wood to be in possession of images and videos of child pornography.
When interviewed, Wood admitted to uploading, collecting and sharing files of child pornography.
Investigators seized several digital storage devices for examination by the Digital Forensics Unit of the attorney general’s office.
Attorney General Paxton’s office works to protect children by using the latest technology to track down some of the most profoundly evil predators online.
Since its inception, the Child Exploitation Unit has made 333 arrests and obtained 589 convictions on charges for possession of child pornography.
Attorney General Paxton urges all parents and teachers to become aware of the risks children face on the internet and take steps to help ensure their safety.
If you suspect someone is producing or downloading child pornography, you can report it to NCMEC: CyberTipline 1-800-843-5678
Nancy Cowles, executive director of Kids in Danger.
Recalled Sleepers Linked To Infant Deaths Are Still Being Used in Daycare Centers
Earlier this year, Fischer-Price issued a recall of nearly five million Rock ‘n Play sleepers after the popular product was linked to at least 30 infant deaths. Not long after, Kids II recalled 700,000 of its own inclined sleepers due to similar concerns.
Several months later, one mom was shocked to find that these dangerous sleepers are still being used in some daycare centers, which could be putting their kids at risk.
Sarah Landis, a mom from Philadelphia, told Consumer Reports that in June, she came to her one-year-old son’s daycare and discovered that a Rock ‘n Play Sleeper was in the infant facility room. Landis told her husband, Adam Garber, who works in product safety. Garber gave the daycare a call to see if they were aware of the recall.
“Our daycare provider, who cares deeply about the kids, was really confused,” says Garber. “She said she thought there had only been a warning about the Rock ‘n Play Sleeper and that as long as the product was properly used, and babies were buckled in, it would be fine.”
Garber informed the daycare director that a full recall had been issued, something that the director says they were never informed about the extent of the recall and so they believed they were not putting children in danger by keeping theirs. William Wallace, the manager of home and safety policy for Consumer Reports, says that this can be common if companies give mixed messaging about a recall.
“Recalls don’t work well unless people get a clear and consistent message. And they especially don’t work well if manufacturers and the government fail to fully warn people about the risks of a product,” Wallace explained.
Fortunately, in this case, no infants were harmed as a result of the sleeper but considering the popularity of these products, it’s hard to imagine that there aren’t still daycare centers that are unknowingly using a product that has been proven to be dangerous.
What can you do if you are a parent who is unsure if your kid’s daycare is using one of these items? Garber says the most effective thing you can do is reach out.
“One of the things we’re telling folks is to just go in and ask what the center’s plan is to check for and remove recalled products—and then ask about specific products,” Garber says.
Ben Hoffman, M.D., chairperson of the American Academy of Pediatric’s Council on Injury, Violence, and Poison Prevention’s executive committee, agrees, adding that the safest thing for parents is to ensure that no inclined sleepers are being used.
“I would encourage parents to talk to day care providers and make sure their babies are put to sleep in a safe way, and not in a recalled product—but ideally not in any inclined sleeper,” Hoffman says.
AG Paxton’s Child Exploitation Unit Arrests Tyler County Man for Possession of
Child Pornography
AUSTIN, TX – Attorney General Ken Paxton today announced that the Child Exploitation Unit (CEU) of his office arrested 61-year-old Sean Nicholas Berridge, of Colmesneil, Texas, on two counts of possession of child pornography, a third-degree felony.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children® (NCMEC) referred the case to the CEU after receiving a CyberTipline report accusing Berridge of uploading child pornography to an online account.
While executing a search warrant at Berridge’s residence, investigators found images of child pornography on his cell phone.
They also seized numerous digital storage devices that will be examined by the attorney general’s Digital Forensics Unit.
During an interview with investigators, Berridge admitted he downloaded, viewed and saved files of child pornography.
Attorney General Paxton’s office works to protect children by using the latest technology to track down some of the most profoundly evil predators online.
Since its inception, the Child Exploitation Unit has made 332 arrests and obtained nearly 600 convictions for possession of child pornography.
Attorney General Paxton urges all parents and teachers to become aware of the risks children face on the internet and take steps to help ensure their safety.
If you suspect someone is producing or downloading child pornography, please report it to NCMEC. CyberTipline 1-800-843-5678
AG Paxton’s Child Exploitation Unit Arrests Austin Man for Possession of
Child Pornography
AUSTIN, TX – Attorney General Ken Paxton today announced that the Child Exploitation Unit (CEU) of his office arrested 52-year-old Charles Glenn Koss, of Austin, Texas, on three counts of possession of child pornography, a third-degree felony.
A CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children® (NCMEC) alerted the Child Exploitation Unit to Koss, who reportedly uploaded child pornography to an online photo sharing and storage service account.
While executing a search warrant at Koss’ residence, investigators found images of child pornography on his cell phone. Investigators seized several digital storage devices from his residence for examination by the Digital Forensics Unit of the attorney general’s office.
Attorney General Paxton’s office works to protect children by using the latest technology to track down some of the most profoundly evil predators online.
Since its inception, the Child Exploitation Unit has made 329 arrests and obtained 589 convictions on charges for possession of child pornography.
Attorney General Paxton urges all parents and teachers to become aware of the risks children face on the internet and take steps to help ensure their safety.
If you suspect someone is producing or downloading child pornography, you can report it to NCMEC. CyberTipline 1-800-843-5678
My Brother's Keeper 