How Could You? Hall of Shame- Nichole Gomez/ Nicole Gomez-Vilchis 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 St. Clair Shores, Michigan, foster parent and teacher at Lincoln Middle School in Warren,Nichole Gomez,27,”appeared in court on Friday and pleaded not guilty to second-degree child abuse, a felony that could put her behind bars for up to 10 years. She was released on personal bond.”

Kallee Diggs,foster infant  , “received bruises and broken blood vessels shown in photos. The baby was taken to the hospital with the injuries in June.

“Another condition: you’re to have no contact with the alleged victim or any children under the age of 10 years old,” said Judge Craigen Oster.

Kallee and her brother now are in the care of an aunt and uncle after being removed from Gomez’s home. Nikitin said it was drug addiction that took Kallee away from her biological mother. She is hopeful this case will finally mean stability and safety for her grandchildren.

“I felt guilty,” she said. “I wish I could have done more and if I did maybe none of this would have happened.”

Local 4 reached out to Van Dyke Public Schools where Gomez is employed. It was the first time they heard about the incident. The district is finalizing plans to put Gomez on administrative leave. She will not be in the classroom on Monday.”

St. Clair Shores foster mom accused of abusing baby[Local 4 10/24/14 by Lauren Podell]

REFORM Puzzle Piece

Update: “A former teacher and foster parent is on trial for abuse that allegedly happened more than two years ago. Nicole Gomez-Vilchis, 29, is accused of abusing a 15-month-old girl in 2014. The child and her brother were placed in foster care with Gomez-Vilchis and her husband Hugo in 2013 when the children were removed from their parents’ home due to drug use, the Macomb Daily reports.

The trial, in Macomb County Circuit Court, began Wednesday and is expected to continue next Tuesday. If convicted, Gomez-Vilchis faces 10 years in prison.

At one point, Gomez-Vilchis was ordered by a judge to have no contact with children, but that order was rescinded when she gave birth to her own child, the Macomb Daily reports. School officials say she is no longer employed by the Van Dyke Public Schools in Warren where she was a middle school teacher.

According to testimony, the incident allegedly occurred in June of 2014. The report states that Gomez-Vilchis abused the child, now three years old, by squeezing her very tightly when the child became fussy after being put to bed for her a nap. Gomez-Vilchis denied the abuse at first but, according to testimony of police officers, later admitted to squeezing the girl. The two children were removed from the home the day after the alleged abuse occurred.”

Foster Parent, Former Teacher on Trial for Child Abuse[Patch 9/30/16 by Barb Hall]

Update 2:“A Macomb County jury could not reach a verdict following a trial for a 29-year-old woman accused of abusing her foster child, The Macomb Daily reports.

Jurors said they were deadlocked after deliberating the fate of Nicole Gomez-Vilchis from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday in Macomb County Circuit Court. The trial began Sept. 28. Judge James Maceroni on Friday ordered a mistrial and scheduled a Nov. 10 pretrial in the case.

Gomez-Vilchis, a former middle school teacher in Van Dyke Public Schools, is charged with second-degree child abuse, accused of excessively squeezing Kallee, now 3,when she was 15 months old in June 2014 in Gomez-Vilchis’ St. Clair Shores home. Kallee suffered bruising and petechia (tiny red blotches) from internal bleeding, and has recovered.

The charges carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

Kallee and her older brother were removed from the Gomez-Vilchis home and initially were taken in by relatives and later given to two new foster parents who plan to adopt them, according to family members.

Gomez-Vilchis, who with her husband, Hugo, has a biological child, remains free on a personal bond.

At one point, Gomez-Vilchis was ordered by a judge to have no contact with children, but that order was rescinded when she gave birth to her own child, the newspaper reported. School officials say she is no longer employed by the Van Dyke Public Schools in Warren where she was a middle school teacher.

According to testimony, the incident allegedly occurred in June of 2014. The report states that Gomez-Vilchis abused the child, now three years old, by squeezing her very tightly when the child became fussy after being put to bed for her a nap. Gomez-Vilchis denied the abuse at first but, according to testimony of police officers, later admitted to squeezing the girl. The two children were removed from the home the day after the alleged abuse occurred.”

Hung Jury in St. Clair Shores Foster Care Child Abuse Case [Patch 10/11/16 by Barb Hall]

Update 3:“A 29-year-old woman was sentenced to one year probation for squeezing her toddler-age foster child so hard that the girl suffered broken blood vessels.

Nicole Gomez-Vilchis of St. Clair Shores received the punishment Wednesday at a somewhat heated hearing in Macomb County Circuit Court. She was convicted of second-degree child abuse in May following a trial.

Judge James Maceroni’s sentence was more lenient that the probation department’s recommendation of two years probation and at the bottom of the sentencing-guideline range, which indicates a term of up to 17 months in prison. The maximum penalty is 10 years in prison.

“This woman certainly isn’t public enemy No. 1,” Maceroni said. “There’s no indication that she was ever abusive other than this one incident.
“The most we have is somebody who lost control of her emotions when taking care of a child.”

That came after Assistant Macomb Prosecutor Nicole Blank and two relatives of the child pleaded for a maximum sentence.

“I get that people make mistakes but sometimes mistakes go too far,” Blank said. “When you squeeze a child for 15 seconds, you are so angry and out of control.”

Blank added that Gomez “had three years … to come forward and admit she made a mistake” and blamed the toddler Kallee’s brother.

Gomez-Vilchis, a former middle school teacher in Van Dyke Public Schools, abused 15 month old Kallee in June 2014 while preparing her for a nap in her bedroom in her home. Kallee, now 4. suffered bruising and petechia (tiny red blotches) due to internal bleeding “from her ribs where it happened up to her head,” Blank said. Kallee initially recovered, but, according to Blank, suffers from “delayed development,” a claim that was disputed by defense attorney Ken Vernier.

“There’s no causational link,” Vernier said. “It’s preposterous.”

The case was reported to police by hospital officials.

Gomez-Vilchis admitted to the act during a police interview, according to trial testimony, Blank said.

A jury delivered a verdict after three hours of deliberations and a three-day trial.

It was the second trial for Gomez-Vilchis after the first one in October ended in a mistrial due to a hung jury.

Janice Nikitin, Kallee’s maternal grandmother, said after the hearing she would have liked to have seen a longer term but was pleased that Gomez-Vilchis was convicted and that the conviction likely will prevent her from teaching or being a foster parent again.

“Today we finally get justice for Kallee,” she told the judge at the hearing.

Nikitin said she believes Kallee suffered during the incident.

“I can only imagine how scared she was,” she said in court.

A child-abuse expert testified at the trial that Kallee may have suffered “anxiety and perhaps loss of breath” as the incident took place.

During arguments over her prospective sentence, Vernier pointed out Gomez-Vilchis in effect has been on probation for nearly three years since her arrest and she has had no violations. She also has no prior criminal record, he pointed out.

Gomez-Vilchis and her husband have had a child since her arrest.

Kallee’s mother lost her parental rights due to drug use and subsequently died from an overdose. Her new foster mother, Adrian Deiulius, is in the process of adopting Kallee and attended the hearing. Upon completion of the court hearing, the judge ordered families and supporters of both the victim and defendant exit the building separately due to hard feelings related to the case.”

Former St. Clair Shores foster parent gets probation for abusing child

[Macomb Daily 7/12/17 by Jameson Cook]