Abused Child Found, Mother Wanted

Here is what happened at OaklandNews on the afternoon of Monday, October 27, 2003. The parenthetical comments are from me to Sgt. Pete Kelly of the Special Victims Unit – Child cases, explaining some of the emails about this episode.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Mail from OaklandNews.com feedback_form
Date: Mon, 27 Oct 2003 18:47:08 -0500
From: "Stacy" <@deletedcom>
To: jsherwin@private address

(My server says that I received this at 3:47 PM
This message was sent using form: http://www.oaklandnews.com/contact.html)
(Sgt. Kelly -- The above two lines mean that she went to my Web site,
http://www.oaklandnews.com and sent me the first email using my OaklandNews address. My friends use my jsherwin@private address.)

------------------------- COMMENTS -------------------------

Today I video taped a woman ruthlessly beating her child. He couldn\'t
have been older than 4 yrs...5, at the oldest. She beat him to the
sidewalk and kicked him repeatedly before I could get to my camera, but I did manage to capture some of the beating. I have seen her do this at least twice previously. I called 9-11. The police did nothing. I called CPS. No help there. Please click on the link below for the full story.

Click here.

------------------------------------------------------------
This was my first email back to Ms. Stacy:

Jeannette Sherwin Dear Stacy,
Call 911 and tell them that you will call them every 5 minutes until
they show up. Also call the Sheriff's Department. But do NOT give up, okay -- keep in touch this evening. Am thinking if you and that little kid,
Furiously (re OPD, CPS)
Jeannette

The second email from Alexander to me:
4:25 PM
Jeannette,
I am leaving Oakland and will be on a train beginning tonight for 18
hours. If you read the LJ entry and comments you will see that I have
already contacted the police, Oprah W., ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN...every local
news/paper/radio resource. I will not give up on this! I will be in Portland/Seattle for the next 8-9 days but if you need to call me, my
Portland number will be 503-deleted.

Thanks for your concern,
Stacy

--- Jeannette Sherwin wrote:
4:13 PM
Stacy:
What is your phone and address? Sgt. Pete Sarna should be calling you ASAP
Jeannette

--- Jeannette Sherwin 4:29 PM
Stacy, You _must_ call OPD again and give them every bit of information
you have, including your tape -- call them NOW and demand to speak with
Sgt. Pete Sarna-- call using 238-7230 and tell them it's about the
abused child. When did this take place and where? I have asked that they go house to house if you don't know the exact address,
Jeannette

The last email from Stacy to me:
5:02 PM
Jeannette,
I am out the door. I will call from the train on my cell and if I can't reach him I will call tomorrow from Portland.
S.

Then I received a message from Sgt. Pete Kelly who seemed to think I might have special knowledge of the incident – my messages and Stacy’s original email had been sent to several OPD sites before Sgt. Kelly found me.

Dear Sgt. Kelly:
These are the email messages (with my replies) that I received on Monday
from Ms. Stacy. I also spoke with Cadet Wynn in the Chief's office, who had me forward Stacy’s first email, with the video url to sellis@oaklandnet.com . I think that's how you came to see it.

I believe she emailed me because I am part of the Oakland media, although only on the Web. I do not know her, I don't know where she lives -- which is where she allegedly shot this, and have never heard of (her business).

On her web page is the indication that this was filmed just before 9 AM,
allegedly on Monday the 27th of October.

There should be a recording of her call to 911 on Monday morning reporting this -- would there also be a record of her address?

She gives her phone number in Portland below.

Sincerely,

Jeannette Sherwin
Editor
OaklandNews.com

My number is
My address is

From Sgt. Kelly to Jeannette Sherwin:
Thank you for the information I am tracking the incident down on the
police side and will also attempt to contact Ms. Stacy.
Sgt. Kelly

From Sgt. Kelly to Jeannette a day later:
I have spoken with the (Stacys) and will be putting together a wanted poster to ID the woman and the child. We are investigating the case.
Sgt. Kelly

Sent on 10/31
Dear Sgt. Kelly:
Thank you! Thank you so very, very much!
My best,

Jeannette Sherwin
Editor
OaklandNews.com

Article in Oakland Tribune, Thursday, November 6, 2003
Officials find boy from abuse tape
3-year-old doing well; police looking for mother

By Harry Harris, STAFF WRITER
Thursday, November 06, 2003 - OAKLAND -- A 3-year-old boy, the object of
an intense search after being caught on camera apparently being beaten by his mother, was found Wednesday at a West Oakland preschool by police.

The boy was in good spirits, even though he told police the woman "had choked and scratched him," on Tuesday, Sgt. Jim Kelly said.

The child was examined by a nurse, who found no physical injuries, but county Child Protective Services will do an additional examination, officials said.

Police are still seeking the boy's mother, but would not release her name or address in West Oakland where they lived.

Kelly said police were led to the preschool about 1:15 p.m. by two people who called police after reading about the suspected abuse and seeing images published Wednesday in the Oakland Tribune.

He declined to identify the day care facility but said officials there were "very cooperative."

Kelly said the boy identified himself and the woman from one of the images and spoke about prior abuse.

Despite that, the boy seemed to be in good spirits, Kelly said.

"He was great. He was drawing smiley faces for us. He was a happy 3-year-old." The child was placed in protective custody with county Child Protective Services while the investigation continues. Kelly said CPS is going to have the child undergo a physical examination.

Investigators were surprised at the maturity of the boy, who will turn 4 years old in December.

"He was articulate and energetic. He was even asking us questions," said Special Victims Unit Officer Anthony Souza.

Police began investigating after receiving images -- taken by a resident
-- of the boy being hit repeatedly in the 2800 block of Filbert Street on Oct. 27.

The resident told police of seeing the boy being kicked by the woman before the filming began. Police also have audio of the woman screaming and swearing at the child as well as the child crying.

Police released the images to the media only after their own attempts to find the child and mother were unsuccessful.

Kelly said up to $1,000 in reward money is available for information leading to the woman's arrest. Anyone with information can call police at 238-3641 or 238-7910 or Crime Stoppers of Oakland at 238-6946.