How Could You? Hall of Shame -Lan Le UPDATED
This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.
From Lake Charles, Louisiana,foster mother Lan Le, 26, was arrested and booked into the Calcasieu Correctional Center. She is being charged with one count of 2nd degree cruelty and one count of cruelty after “Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office was called to a local hospital in regard to a 2 year old brought into the emergency room with severe burns to his legs.” “Judge David Ritchie as set her Bond at $1,100,000.”
“The investigation revealed the child sustained 2nd and 3rd degree burns to both legs below the knee. He also had bruising to the top of both ears, a bruise on his face, a bruise on his genital area, and bruises under one arm.”
She claims that “the child stepped in a tub of hot water when she left him unattended for less than five minutes.
After evaluating the pattern of the burns on the child’s legs, medical personnel at the hospital, have determined they are inconsistent with Le’s story.
The child has been moved to a hospital in Baton Rouge due to the severity of his burns.
Another foster child in the home, who is 7 months old, has been removed by OCS. That child was uninjured.”
The link below has a very graphic link to two photos of the burns on the child’s legs. It is unclear to Rally why these photos are being released to the public. The burns are grotesquely severe and do not appear to fit with her story.
Toddler severely burned, foster mom arrested
[KPLCTV 9/16/11 by Kristian Claus]
Update: Now a live-in boyfriend is revealed. Was he background checked by CPS before placement? Doubtful. Another ridiculous bond reduction.
“Judge David Ritchie set Lan Le’s bond at $1.1 million dollars. Lan Le had remained in jail from that original bond until Judge Ronald Ware reduced Le’s bond to $40,000 dollars. Le put up bond at that time and is currently back at her residence with her live-in boyfriend at Southwood Drive in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Biological father of burned toddler speaks out, foster mom bonds out
[KPLCTV 9/26/11 by Victoria Waterman]
Update 2: “Newman said it was unfair to present the case of Lan Le to a grand jury when Newman could not be prepared due to a death in his family.
Davis & Saltzman trial delayed after prosecutor falls ill
[KPLCTV 11/11/11 by Theresa Schmidt]
REFORM Puzzle Piece
Update 3:“Twenty-nine-year-old, Lan Le, will be sentenced September 10 on charges of second-degree cruelty to a juvenile. Judge Ron Ware found Le guilty of the charges yesterday.
Prosecutors say she caused severe burns on the legs of her two-year-old foster child. The toddler also had numerous bruises on several parts of his body including his ears and under his arm. The boy sustained second and third degree burns to his legs when prosecutors say Le held him in scalding water.”
Foster parent guilty of child abuse[Fox 29 5/8/14]
Update 4:“A foster mother has escaped jail despite scolding a two-year-old boy with boiling water that left third-degree burns.
Lan Huyhl Le, 29, was found guilty of second-degree cruelty after the child in her care sustained burns that scaled six inches up his legs, as well as bruising to his ears, face and arm.
The boy required skin grafts for the severe blisters, which were uniform and without splash marks, investigators said.
But her sentencing today at Calcasieu Judicial Center in Lake Charles, Louisiana, sparked outrage in the court room as Judge Ron Ware handed Le a five-year suspended prison term and three years’ supervised probation.
Just six months ago, Ware found Le guilty of child cruelty and told the jury her account of the incident did not match the forensic evidence.
Le, who was not burned in the incident, claimed the child climbed into the tub himself and she later rushed in to pull the plug.
However, Ware said in May that she would have been scolded if that were the case.
After the sentencing, Ware hugged Le, who now lives in Florida, and her family in the hallway.
Ware found Le guilty of second-degree cruelty to a juvenile after a six-day trial in May.
Le had requested he hear the case instead of a jury.
Blasting the verdict, District Attorney John DeRosier told KPLCtv: ‘A two year old child was scalded in this case.
‘I think it is inappropriate for the defendant to walk away from this they way that she has. However, that is not for me to decide.’
Defense attorney Cliff Newman said Le is a ‘good lady.’
‘When nobody wanted those children, Lan Le wanted them and raised them,’ he said, asking Ware for a suspended sentence.
Le, who did not testify during her trial, said the incident was an ‘accident.’
‘I loved all my foster kids,’ she told Ware.
‘What happened was everybody’s worst nightmare and something I have to live with every day of my life.’
It hurt her that she could not be there for the boy during his recovery, she said. ‘Not a day goes by that I don’t think about [him],’ she said.”
The American Press reports Le wept when Ware said he was not going to sentence her to serve time.
He told the court she still had ‘plenty of good’ to give and said he felt she acted negligently. ”
[Daily Mail 11/2/14 by Mia DeGraaf and Associated press]
Recent Comments