WTH is wrong with people????
SEALY, Texas - A couple was arrested after a state inspector found several children locked in a tool shed behind an unlicensed daycare center.
State officials said the children were surrounded by lawn equipment, gasoline and insecticide when they were found Wednesday morning. The children were not injured.
A child welfare inspector had gone there in response to a complaint that an illegal daycare center was being operated at the home.
In all, 14 children, ranging in age from 3 months to 5 years, were being cared for by the couple, Child Protective Services spokeswoman Gwen Carter said Thursday. Several were in the shed and others were hidden in the house and at a home next door.
Austin County District Attorney Travis Koehn said Marietta Patek, 55, was charged with six counts of child endangerment. Her husband, Freddie Patek, 47, faced an evidence tampering charge.
They were supposed to be caring for no more than three children, Carter said.
Bond was set at $10,000 for each. They have no attorney of record to comment on their behalf, jail officials said Thursday.
Paramedics examined all the children and found they were unharmed. Parents were summoned to pick them up from the home in Sealy, about 45 miles west of Houston.
The case remains under investigation by police and child welfare authorities.
Source: MSNBC.com
Karen Millen
I can't believe that after all the warnings time and time again over the years to make sure parents confirm that such service providers are licenced appropriately for what they are providing still get caught up in this.
If I ever find something like that going on near my home they will rue the day they ever met my @$$.
1The sad thing is, some people can't afford what licensed providers can charge - but that in no way excuses this.
2And some people just hate shelling out serious money for what they see as babysitting.
3That's true Steph but that fact should prompt parents to form support groups to deal with the issue not just allow these situations to become their reality.
I'll never forget my baby sitter growing up (May Lewis) she made to this day chocolate chip cookies that can not be touched. Mrs. Fields aint got nothin on her. I hadn't seen her since I was 6 in 1976 but I got to see her again during the Olympics in Atlanta she was 97 years old. She kept telling me to stop crying..LOL! I couldn't help it I loved her so much.
4I named my kid after my first sitter, I know how you felt.
5I wonder how the parents feel after all this was revealed.
And see what a good thing it is to alert the authorities when your neighbors are doing something without the proper licenses and permissions?
6It's one thing to be unlicensed, not that I condone it necessarily, but child endangerment and abuse for the sake of making money is horrible. My mom ran a daycare and the max kids two adult providers can have is like 4-6 children and some smaller combination of infants and toddlers.
What made them think that hiding in the shed would help the situation? Hiding them next door yes, hiding them in a dangerous tool shed
, criminals never turn out to be the brightest people.
7My biggest concern is the heat here. Those kids could have easily suffocated in that shed.
~~~~~
The man who speaks to you of sacrifice, speaks of slaves and masters. And intends to be the master.
8do theior parents have no idea how their children are treated? A shed? in Texas? That is so hot! Poor kids
9And wouldn't they smell like gasoline? I can't believe none of the parents caught on to this!
10To me, it sounds like the kids were put in there as a last second ditch effort to hide the number of kids they had. It doesn't sound like the kids were being put in the shed as a form of punishment. It's idiotic, but I'm betting this wasn't a normal practice.
11That makes more sense to me too UnDave.
12Can you imagine...there are more like this or worse?
When you consider the base rate pay for unskilled workers, taxed highly, without affordable rent, add to that children which were probably unplanned AND the cost for good child care----You know there ARE more places out there like this.
The alternative is staying home and collecting welfare to take care of their kids.
Obviously it seems obvious that our government should step in and create some outlandishly expensive program to make sure these people have affordable childcare...wait...they did that already but most people didn't fit the criteria OR it wasn't available in their area....then they cut the program completely.
Hmmmm...
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