How Could You? Hall of Shame-Terri Lynn Cronin 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. Charles, County, Missouri, foster parent Terri Lynn Cronin was finally charged on Tuesday April 10, 2012 on “two counts of child abuse and two counts of second-degree assault related to her care of Shakur Casanova Knight from March through May 2009 in her home in an unincorporated area of St. Charles County. The charges carry penalties from five to 15 years in prison. ” Shakur was only 5 weeks old when he suffered the first of two incidents of abuse.

“The charges follow a Post-Dispatch investigation published this month that highlighted Shakur’s injuries and how case managers at a private agency failed to follow state laws and protocols to keep the infant safe in foster care. State, medical and police records show the agency, Urban Behavioral HealthCare Institute, failed to report to the state Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline that the 5-week-old boy suffered a broken arm on April 12, 2009, while in Cronin’s care — six weeks before he nearly died from another incident in the home.

The newspaper found the agency failed to follow up with hospital physicians who first treated the broken arm, or report the injury to two other foster care agencies responsible for his safety. All of those entities could have reported the injury to the state hotline.

Medical records show the broken arm was diagnosed as a spiral fracture — typically a red flag for child abuse in young infants.

The newspaper further found the infant remained in the foster home even though a great-aunt had asked to be the child’s foster parent after the first injury. Records show the agency dragged its feet on that placement despite a state law that favors placing foster children with appropriate and willing relatives as quickly as possible.

On May 27, 2009, Shakur was airlifted near death to St. Louis Children’s Hospital with multiple fractures and severe head injuries requiring emergency surgery. State, medical and police records show Cronin said she slipped in both instances at the top of her home’s carpeted stairs causing the injuries.

With the first injury in April, Cronin said she abruptly pulled the baby into her body when she slipped onto her behind and slid down the stairs. In the second, she said the infant popped out of her arms and fell on his head on a tiled landing. Although medical records show physicians concluded Shakur was a victim of child abuse, criminal charges were originally refused by the St. Charles County Prosecutor’s Office.

State records also show Cronin was able to have a finding of child abuse by the state Children’s Division overturned through a closed citizen review panel. But earlier this year, while reviewing the case after a reporter’s inquiry, St. Charles County Prosecutor Jack Banas asked the St. Charles County Sheriff’s Department to reopen a criminal investigation. Banas said there were conflicting statements among Cronin’s five children about what happened on May 27 in the home, and said it was clear someone had hurt the child. Banas could not be reached for comment on the new charges.

Court records pertaining to the charges filed Tuesday cited the spiral fracture in the arm as being “highly specific” for inflicted injury in infants. The fracture also was not compatible with the explanation given by Cronin of slipping down the steps with the baby in her arms, according to records. Those court files go on to list the extent of the injuries Shakur received on May 27, including a depressed left skull fracture, severe brain swelling, placement on a ventilator, multiple subdural hemorrhages, retinal hemorrhages in both eyes, seizures and a left collarbone fracture.

Terri Cronin could not be reached for comment, and though court records list her family as living in St. Charles County, real estate documents indicate their house was sold. State records show Terri Cronin and her husband Jeffery Cronin were licensed foster parents starting in 2006 until they voluntarily relinquished the license in September 2009.

Shakur, now 3, has been adopted and renamed Cristofer by Lennie Bell, the great-aunt who came forward to be his foster mother when he was in the Cronin’s foster home. Bell said Tuesday all foster and adoption agencies need to “be more careful on who they place babies with.” She said she was pleased criminal charges had been filed. “He deserved to have his day,” she said of Shakur.

“Somebody is responsible for what happened to him and needs to be accountable. Maybe he’ll help some other babies so that they won’t have to go through such abuse.”

St. Charles Co. foster parent charged with child abuse

[St. Louis Today 4/11/12 by Nancy Cambria]

 

REFORM Puzzle Pieces

 

St. Charles County Prosecutor’s Office, you should be ashamed of yourselves for not bringing charges two years ago.

As for the closed citizen’s review panel that allowed child abuse to be swept under the rug, that premise should be abolished!

Update: “A court document reads that on April 12, 2009, Cronin caused a spiral fracture to Shakur Casanova Knight’s arm. He was six weeks old at the time.

Cronin told police the injury occurred when she slipped while carrying the baby down some steps in her home in the 3600 block of Meadowsglen Court in the Harvester area.

A St. Charles County Sheriff’s Department statement indicated the injury is incompatible with falling down steps, but is “highly specific for inflicted injuries” to an infant.

Then, on May 27, 2009, Cronin told she slipped down the same steps again, dropping 11-week-old Shakur.

The child suffers a depressed skull fracture, severe brain swelling, multiple subdural hemorrhages, a brain contusion, seizures as a result of the brain injury, retinal hemorrhages, a collarbone fracture. A complete skeletal X-ray revealed the infant also had a broken tibia above his ankle and broken bones in his left wrist.”

Ex-Foster Parent for St. Charles County Charged with Child Abuse

[Lake St. Louis Patch 4/12/12]

Update 2: A search of public Missouri court case records finds that she posted bail on 4/19/12. On 4/26/12 there were 3 motions to suppress and one motion for discovery. Arraignment was on 6/12/12 and a disposition hearing is scheduled for 7/10/12.

Update 3: “A former foster parent in St. Charles County was indicted Friday [October 26, 2012]  for allegedly injuring a 6-week-old foster child on purpose.

Terri Lynn Cronin, 48, was charged with two counts of child abuse and two counts of second-degree assault.

Deputies said Cronin first fractured the child’s arm in April, 2009 after she slipped while carrying the boy down the stairs at a home him in the 3600 block of Meadowsglen Court in the Harvester

Authorities later said the injury did not fit with slipping down the steps while holding a baby and “highly specific for inflicted injury.”

Deputies said Cronin told detectives she was again holding the baby on May 27, 2009 when she slipped down the same steps and dropped him. The child was 11 weeks old at the time.

The drop left the child with a depressed left skull fracture, a left collarbone fracture, severe brain swelling, multiple brain injuries and subdural hemorrhages and hemorrhages in both eyes.

An X-ray showed the child also suffered a broken tibia above his ankle and broken bones in his left wrist.”

Former foster parent accused of severely abusing 6-week-old child

[KMOV 10/30/12]

A search of public Missouri court case records finds that a case review is scheduled for November 28, 2012.

Update 4: A search of Missouri court records shows that Terri  gets a trial on 3/30/15.

Update 5:“A former St. Charles County foster mother got a suspended 14-year prison sentence Wednesday in a case in which an infant in her care nearly died.

Terri Lynn Cronin, 51, formerly of the …, originally was charged in April 2012 with two counts of child abuse and two counts of assault. But in a plea deal with prosecutors, she pleaded guilty to two counts of child endangerment.

Circuit Judge Nancy Schneider handed down the sentence, which includes serving five years of probation. In addition, Cronin must pay $1,000 in restitution to the child’s family and cannot provide foster care or day care. She also is prohibited from having unsupervised control of any children under the age of 13 with the exception of her grandchildren.

The charges followed a 2012 Post-Dispatch investigation into injuries to Shakur Casanova Knight in 2009 in Cronin’s home and how case managers at a private agency failed to follow state laws and protocols to keep the infant safe.

According to records, the agency, Urban Behavioral HealthCare Institute, failed to report to the state Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline that the 5-week-old boy suffered a broken arm on April 12, 2009, while in Cronin’s care — six weeks before he nearly died from other injuries in the home.

The newspaper reported that the infant remained in the foster home even though a great-aunt had asked to be the child’s foster parent after the first injury.

On May 27, 2009, Shakur, near death, was airlifted to a hospital with fractures and severe head injuries requiring emergency surgery.

Cronin said she slipped in both instances at the top of her home’s carpeted stairs, causing the injuries. The first time, Cronin said she pulled the baby into her body when she slid down the stairs. She said in the second fall that the infant popped out of her arms and fell on his head on a tile floor.

Although medical records show physicians concluded Shakur was a victim of child abuse, the St. Charles County Prosecutor’s Office originally declined to file charges. And Cronin was able to have a finding of child abuse by the state Children’s Division overturned through a closed citizen review panel.

But after a reporter’s inquiry, then-St. Charles County Prosecutor Jack Banas asked the St. Charles County Sheriff’s Department to reopen the case.

At the plea hearing Wednesday, Cronin did not make a statement and declined to comment afterward.

Shakur, now 6, was adopted and renamed Cristofer by Lennie Bell, the great-aunt who came forward to be his foster mother when he was in the Cronin’s foster home. Prosecutors said Christofer was in school and did not suffer any permanent physical problems as a result of his injuries.”

St. Charles County foster care mom gets suspended sentence for injuries to infant[St. Louis Today 6/3/15 by Susan Welch]