Casady: Mom reconsiders leaving daughter at 'safe haven'
Less than 24 hours after one caregiver dropped off a child at a Lincoln hospital under the state’s safe haven law, another parent intending to use the law changed her mind.
A 34-year-old woman brought her 15-year-old daughter to BryanLGH Medical Center west at 11:18 a.m. Monday, intending to drop the teenager off at the hospital under Nebraska’s safe haven law, said Lincoln Police Chief Tom Casady.
However, after discussing the situation with a police officer, an alternate plan was negotiated, and the girl was admitted to the hospital’s child/adolescent psychiatric unit, Casady said.
On Sunday, a 51-year-old woman left her 12-year-old grandson at the same hospital. Another boy, the same age, was left at Immanuel Hospital in Omaha, also on Sunday.
The mother who changed her mind on Monday was relieved to resolve the situation without using the safe haven law, Casady said.
In talking with police, the mother admitted the safe haven law was flawed but said she had tried everything to get help for her daughter, whom she described as out of control, defiant and a chronic runaway, Casady said.
The mother also said she feared for the safety of her 12-year-old son, Casady said.
The woman had filled out some paperwork for the county attorney to try to make the girl a ward of the state, but she had not submitted it, Casady said.
The process takes some time, and the woman thought she might get more timely help for her daughter if the teenager became a ward of the state under the safe haven law, Casady said.
In cases when a child is out of control, it’s common for parents or guardians to worry for their safety or the safety of other children, Casady said.
“We work cases like this on a real regular basis,” Casady said. “It was pretty apparent to police officers when the safe haven law passed that it might become a last resort outcome for people we deal with.”
This is the second recent example of Lincoln police diverting a parent from using the safe haven law.
On Sept. 26, a 37-year-old woman was considering abandoning her 16-year-old daughter under the safe haven law, said Officer Katie Flood.
After talking with the mother, officers took the teenager to BryanLGH Medical Center West, where she was placed in temporary protective custody and turned over to Health and Human Services, Flood said.
Casady said the primary disadvantage of the safe haven law was “the sense of abandonment a child might have.”
“I think you should exhaust other avenues before taking what I consider to be a desperate step.”
Reach Hilary Kindschuh at 473-7120 or hkindschuh@journalstar.com.
A 34-year-old woman brought her 15-year-old daughter to BryanLGH Medical Center west at 11:18 a.m. Monday, intending to drop the teenager off at the hospital under Nebraska’s safe haven law, said Lincoln Police Chief Tom Casady.
However, after discussing the situation with a police officer, an alternate plan was negotiated, and the girl was admitted to the hospital’s child/adolescent psychiatric unit, Casady said.
On Sunday, a 51-year-old woman left her 12-year-old grandson at the same hospital. Another boy, the same age, was left at Immanuel Hospital in Omaha, also on Sunday.
The mother who changed her mind on Monday was relieved to resolve the situation without using the safe haven law, Casady said.
In talking with police, the mother admitted the safe haven law was flawed but said she had tried everything to get help for her daughter, whom she described as out of control, defiant and a chronic runaway, Casady said.
The mother also said she feared for the safety of her 12-year-old son, Casady said.
The woman had filled out some paperwork for the county attorney to try to make the girl a ward of the state, but she had not submitted it, Casady said.
The process takes some time, and the woman thought she might get more timely help for her daughter if the teenager became a ward of the state under the safe haven law, Casady said.
In cases when a child is out of control, it’s common for parents or guardians to worry for their safety or the safety of other children, Casady said.
“We work cases like this on a real regular basis,” Casady said. “It was pretty apparent to police officers when the safe haven law passed that it might become a last resort outcome for people we deal with.”
This is the second recent example of Lincoln police diverting a parent from using the safe haven law.
On Sept. 26, a 37-year-old woman was considering abandoning her 16-year-old daughter under the safe haven law, said Officer Katie Flood.
After talking with the mother, officers took the teenager to BryanLGH Medical Center West, where she was placed in temporary protective custody and turned over to Health and Human Services, Flood said.
Casady said the primary disadvantage of the safe haven law was “the sense of abandonment a child might have.”
“I think you should exhaust other avenues before taking what I consider to be a desperate step.”
Reach Hilary Kindschuh at 473-7120 or hkindschuh@journalstar.com.
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