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On May 17, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department arrested 33-year-old Eryka Westover after a lengthy investigation into her behavior. Unfortunately, Westover was a teacher at the time of the arrest, and she formerly worked at a daycare around young children. She was arrested on felony child abuse and neglect charges.
Police say they first learned about the suspicious behavior when they received a tip that a student was being abused by a teacher. The report was made regarding an incident that happened at a learning institute in the 9000 block of Hillpointe Road.
Soon after the allegations were made, video footage of different incidents involving Westover started appearing online. In one video, Westover appears to be working at a daycare. She is standing over a tightly swaddled child and slams the child into a bed face down. Horrifyingly, she then confirms what she did by stating, “I just body slammed you.”
The mother of the child in the video, Elisa Valdez, explained that she was horrified and extremely angry when she first saw the video. She immediately confronted the head of the academy where the incident occurred. According to the mother, the academy did not offer an apology or display any remorse.
Unfortunately, another employee at the academy confirmed to journalists that she had witnessed some instances of abuse in the school, and the violence had been increasing in recent months. The employee told the media that they had attempted to report the incidents to managers at the school, but no action was ever taken.
This report was made back on April 1st. An investigation into the situation was immediately initiated. While details aren’t public yet, the charges suggest that the videos circulating online were legitimate.
Teachers, daycare providers, and babysitters are some of the most trusted professionals who are tasked with caring for some of the most vulnerable of us all. Sadly, some people abuse this vulnerability and commit crimes against children.
In Las Vegas, felony child abuse is considered an extremely serious crime. It’s a class B felony when the crime causes substantial bodily or mental harm to the child, which means a conviction could result in a minimum of 2 years in prison and a maximum of 20 years. When no substantial harm is caused, the act could be considered a felony or misdemeanor, and it is possible for the accused to only serve one year in prison or get sentenced to probation only.
Considering the weight of these charges, it makes the most sense to talk to an attorney about your possible legal defenses and options. Depending on what happened, you could argue that the act was an accident, the accusations are false, or the child was not harmed.
If you’re in Las Vegas or a nearby area and you’re ready to speak to an attorney after getting accused of child abuse or a related crime, then we can help. Schedule a call to go over the details of your case with our lawyers now.
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