University Daily Kansan / Wednesday, February 25, 1987
11
Day-care child abuse trial starts in K.C.
United Press International
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A woman charged in the abuse of six infants at a church-run day-care center said she might have broken the children's limbs because of medication she was taking, a prosecutor said yesterday.
Assistant prosecutor Thomas Newter told the jury during the first day of testimony that defendant Lettie Warner, who said that she might have hurt the infants.
"She said it might have been the medication," said Newton, adding that Ward was prescribed some medication while in Muskogee, Okla. a few months before the children were hurt.
The prosecutor, in his opening statements, did not specify the type of medicine she was taking.
Ward, 34, is charged with six
counts of child abuse in connection with the injuries, which occurred in February and March of 1985, at the We Serve Humanity day care center. We were younger than 18 months, old, and spiral fractures of their arms and legs.
Ward was a kitchen worker at the inner-city center but her duties also included working for child care workers during their breaks.
The Metropolitan Missionary Church shut down the day-care center after the injuries were reported. A center of a different name has reopened at the same site.
Alvin Brooks, the director of the city's human relations department, has said Ward made statements to him implicating herself in the injuries. Brooks, who is expected to testify in the trial, conducted a private investigation of the abuse at the
request of church officials.
Before Newton's opening arguments, Jackson County Circuit Judge Forest Hanna ruled that Ward's statements to Brooks could admitted as evidence in the trial. Defense attorney Willard B. Bunch postponed his opening statements until Newton presents his case.
Defense attorneys, in a hearing Monday, argued that Ward's statement to Brooks about possibly injuring two of the children shouldn't be admissible because she gave it without being read her rights. In that hearing, Ward said she did not commit the crimes.
Brad Wesler, a detective in the police department's sex crimes and child abuse unit, was the first witness for the prosecution yesterday. He said that during his investigation he was unable to develop solid leads nor
evidence of Ward's guilt
Also yesterday, parents of the injured children testified about taking their children to doctors and their finding the fractured limbs.
"I knew she was having problems." Goudeau said, who worked in the toddler room at the center. "When I would take her into the nursery she would cry."
Gloria Goudeau said that in February 1985 her daughter, Elizabeth, was not feeling well and would cry when she went to the center.
In successive weeks, Elizabeth suffered breaks in both of her legs. After doctors discovered the second broken leg, the remainder of the baby's body was X-rayed, and a healing fracture was found on her right forearm.
TOPEKA — Members of two legislative subcommittees decided yesterday to seek an emergency audit to investigate problems that led to patient abuse and employee intimidation at the Winfield State Hospital and Training Center.
Committees seek audit of hospital
The Associated Press
The decision came after the sub-
committees met privately with federa-
l authorities responsible for decer-
tifying the hospital.
Later, State Sen. Wint Winter Jr., Lawrence Republican and chairman of the Senate panel responsible for handling the budgets of state hospitals, announced that he would schedule hearings next week on the possible reshaping the state's philosophy for treating the mentally retarded.
Winter said his inquest would include taking the Senate and House subcommittee members on a tour of the embattled Winfield facility and the Parsons State Hospital on March 6.
"I'm going to hold hearings on the fundamental question of whether our current system of treating the mentally retarded is appropriate," Winter said. "I want to know if we have
George Vega, assistant for Hannah, said his boss spoke with the superintendents of state hospitals in Parsons, Norton and the Kansas Neurological Institute in Topeka.
Besides the legislative activities yesterday, Gerald T. Hannah, commissioner of mental health and retardation services for the state welfare agency in Topeka, was busy installing new reporting procedures at three other state hospitals for the mentally retarded.
the right people at the right hospitals or maybe if our hospitals are too big
Vega also reported that each of the 466 residents in Winfield would receive daily physical examinations by registered nurses to check for signs of injuries, accidents or abuse. Any unreported or unexplained injuries will be reported immediately.
"We'll look at possible capital improvements and at the possibility of placing more emphasis and money in community health centers.
I'm not sure we can't find a system that works better than what we have.
Senate passes bill on abortion reports
Supporters said the measure would help the state Department of Health and Environment keep better statistics on the number of abortions
Edward Reilly Jr.
performed in Kansas. Opponents said it could lead to harassment of physicians by anti-abortion groups.
The Associated Press
state senator
Under the abortion reporting bill, all doctors and health care centers performing abortions would have to file an annual report with the state Department of Health and Environment listing the number performed and any other information the department deems necessary. The department could only release statistical totals to the public and not the names of individuals.
The bill was one of six measures in the Senate debated, and it was sent to the House for approval.
TOPEKA — All hospitals, health care centers and doctors performing abortions would have to file annual statistical reports with the state under a measure the Kansas Senate approved yesterday.
"We already mandate that public health officials keep statistics of many kinds," said State Sen. Edward Reilly Jr., R-Leavenworth.
However, opponents said that passing the bill might give anti-abortion groups information that they might use to try to pressure doctors and centers to stop performing legal abortions.
We already mandate that public health officials keep statistics of many kinds.'
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