Livery Driver Arrested in Baby Case

[Tab]

Source: New York Times

A Queens livery driver who had become something of a hero after he took to a firehouse a baby that he said had been abandoned in his cab was arrested on Saturday after his story unraveled, the police said.

The abandoned baby is in foster care while her identity is sought.

A man and a woman were also arrested.

The driver, Klever Sailema, 45, was charged with filing a false report and endangering the welfare of a child. The woman, Maria Siavichay, 21, of the Bronx, who is the sister of the baby’s father, faces charges of endangering the welfare of a child, according to the police.

Her roommate, Marcelo Vinansaca, 24, faces charges of obstructing governmental administration after he provided false information to detectives investigating the case, the police said.

Investigators said that the baby’s father also took part in the scheme. He was still at large on Saturday, The child’s mother was underage and has not been charged.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/01/nyregion/01cnd-baby.html?hp

[CTyankee]

1. I am glad the baby's OK. How sad, children having children.

I hope little Lourdes is adopted by a nice family who will shower her with love!

[Quantess]

2. How difficult is it to put a baby up for adoption the legitimate way

if you can't take care of the baby?

[TheMadMonk]

3. It's not the difficulty. It's the very real fear involved when...

...exactly one of the parents is underage.

Please note I am not defending the father's actions in getting an underage girl pregnant. Simply pointing out that his fear would be real.

There may well also have been fear (for him and/or for herself) on the part of the mother, who apparently came to the father (or his sister) to attempt to resolve the situation, rather than go through more conventional channels.

In virtually all cases (of child abandonment) involving an underage mother, the most damning indictment should be directed at society and the way it treats/views her.

[LisaL]

10. The girl's 14.

Depending on the age of consent in the state, the father of that child could be facing statutory rape charges.

[Quantess]

13. Ah, I see. So most likely the father was the mastermind of the scheme.

At the very least, the father was 18 or older.
If the father is under 18, I doubt he'd be risking statutory rape charges.

Age of consent: is there any state that says 14 is old enough to consent to sex? I ask a lot of questions.

[1monster]

4. In Florida, for the protection of babies, there is a law that if the child is left at a

hospital, fire station, police station, or some such, then no charges will be filed against the parent.

It seems to me like New York could do with a similar law...

At least they took the child to a fire station and didn't leave her abandoned where she could have been in serious danger.

[htuttle]

5. We have that same thing here at the hospitals

[Miss Chybil]

6. We have that in AZ, as well. It only makes sense. nt

[jwirr]

7. Minnesota has the same laws. These laws were instituted in order

to end the baby in the garbage can deaths that have happened forever. Back then the child was abandoned not so much because the mother was underage but because of the shame of having a child out of wedlock.

[Tab]

8. The only thing is, the parent has to know about that option

It's not necessarily common knowledge, particular with people new to this country or even just people that don't keep up with the news.

[LisaL]

12. The law applies to newborns. You can't just leave your kid of

older age. This child was not a newborn.

[Princess Turandot]

9. That's been the law in NY for a long time..

although I think it may pertain to newborns not a child of any age (which makes sense IMO.)

[LisaL]

11. That law, I am pretty sure, applies to newborns.

This was not a newborn.