The baby is being put in foster care because there is a history of abuse apparently. :(
Printable View
The baby is being put in foster care because there is a history of abuse apparently. :(
Quote:
Originally Posted by momoffuzzyfaces
Sad. :( makes me wonder where he planned to take the baby.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lizbud
Hmmm,
I wonder what the fate of the child had been if not for a couple of bullying security guards? :confused:
A 'real' father would have not put any child into that situation.
Strike me with lightening I agree with you Richard :D
In another story, the dad apparently said the baby was 'shaking' and had been injured. Since she is in foster care, I don't think he was able to make much of a judgement. JMO
************************************************** ********
By Juan A. Lozano | Associated Press
August 15, 2007
HOUSTON - In a confrontation captured on videotape, a hospital security guard fired a stun gun to stop a defiant father from taking home his newborn, sending both man and child crashing to the floor.
Now William Lewis says his baby girl suffers from head trauma because she was dropped.
Lewis, 30, said the April 13 episode began after he and his wife felt mistreated by staff at the Woman's Hospital of Texas and they decided to leave. Hospital employees told him doctors would not allow it, but Lewis picked up the baby and strode to a bank of elevators.
The elevators would not move because wristband sensors on each baby shut them off if anyone takes an infant without permission.
Lewis, who gave the video to The Associated Press, said his daughter landed on her head, but it cannot be seen on the video. He said the baby continues to suffer ill effects from the fall.
It was not clear whether the baby received any jolt.
Child Protective Services has custody of the baby because of a history of domestic violence between Lewis and his wife, Jacqueline Gray. Agency spokeswoman Estella Olguin said the infant does not appear to be suffering any health problems from the fall.
David Boling, an off-duty Houston police officer working security at the hospital, and another security guard can be seen on the surveillance video arriving at the elevators and trying to talk with Lewis. Lewis appears agitated as he walks around the elevators holding his daughter in his right arm.
About a minute later, Boling can be seen casually standing near Lewis, not looking in his direction, when he suddenly raises the Taser and fires it at Lewis, who was still holding his daughter.
Lewis drops to the floor. The other guard, who has not been identified, scoops up the baby and gives her to the child's mother.
In a statement, the hospital said Lewis was hostile and uncooperative toward staff members who were trying to find out his relationship to the infant when they saw him trying to leave. Neither Lewis or Gray had indicated they wanted a discharge, the statement said.
Lewis was arrested and charged with endangering a child. A grand jury in May declined to indict him on that charge, but charged him with retaliation, accusing him of making threats against Boling.
I would think that if the elevators were disabled, as this report says, the use of the taser was absolutely unnecessary. I mentioned that in my other post and that was before I knew that the elevators were disabled.Quote:
Originally Posted by Catty1
The saddest thing is that this child will probably ultimately live with this man who sounds like he isn't going to be much of a father. Poor little thing is getting off to a rough start. :( I hope she doesn't have any future medical issues as a result of her fall.
Found some interesting posts on a medical forum:
Quote:
Just saw a longer clip of this incident on TV. The way the father was holding the baby showed little concern for her safety. He had her head in his right hand and her body along his right forearm. And his right arm was extended, not crossing his body. This is an unusual and not particularly careful stance for carrying a newborn. He didn't appear to be protective of the child. I have never seen anyone carry a newborn like this and I work postpartum.
Quote:
Couple gives their account of hospital Taser incident
Video from local hospital making national headlines
KTRK By Laura Whitley
(8/15/07 - KTRK/HOUSTON) - Exclusive video of a Houston father who was shot with a Taser while holding his baby is making national headlines. Now another couple who was at the hospital that day has come forward.
The couple has remained silent for months. After we broadcast surveillance video of the incident, the Houston parents felt like it was important to provide a missing link to this story. The surveillance tape has no sound, but the people I spoke with say they heard almost everything that happened that morning.
When Ruben and Dana Santillan gaze at their new baby's picture, they fill with pride. Little Elena's birth also reminds them of a terrifying ordeal. She was less than day old when in the middle of the night, a scene captured on surveillance video erupted outside of their hospital room.
"You could hear him and all the nurses arguing about, he wasn't to leave, you all need to let me out of the hospital," said Ruben.
William Lewis demanded nurses allow him to take his four-day-old baby girl home. He and his wife wanted to leave Texas Women's Hospital with their baby, Karla. They refused to follow hospital procedure. We spoke with Lewis by phone about his conversation with nurses.
"He told me, sir, if you do not take the baby back into the room, we're going to have to call security on you," Lewis told us. "And at that point, I decided this was the last straw."
"He yelled to them, he was like, 'I bet if I turned this into a hostage situation, somebody would let me out of this hospital'," said Ruben.
For the Santillans, with that statement, Lewis crossed the line. That's when they got scared.
"He definitely was belligerent and irate and he caused a threat to the whole floor," said Ruben.
That's why they believe an off-duty Houston police officer did the right thing when he shot Lewis with a Taser. At the time, Lewis was holding his newborn baby and she fell to the floor.
"He was the one who did wrong, not anybody else," said Dana. "He put the baby in that situation."
Coupled with anger, the Santillans also feel sad. Memories of the birth of their youngest child have been marred.
"You're supposed to have happy memories and here we are with a conflict that happened the night she was born," said Dana.
Lewis still believes that his rights were violated and that he did nothing wrong. He was charged with child endangerment, but a grand jury did not indict him. He is still facing two charges of retaliation against the officer.
(Copyright © 2007, KTRK-TV)
Quote:
One lesson learned: Bad idea to say the phrase "hostage situation" when you're attempting to check a baby out of the hospital AMA without signing paperwork.
ETA: Strike that. It's a lesson that should have been learned, but I'm not sure if it actually was.
Pam - the stairs weren't disabled...I believe he was in the lobby of the hospital.
Door alarms go off and Security arrives. One of these fellows is a Houston cop.