April 14, 2011
HOLDREGE — A Holdrege day-care provider has been charged with child abuse of an infant girl.
HOLDREGE — A Holdrege day-care provider has been charged with child abuse of an infant girl.
Kendra Fritsche, 38, was arraigned Tuesday on a Class II felony in Phelps County Court.
Fritsche was arrested Feb. 18 and now is free on bond.
Court records outline the case against Fritsche:
On Oct. 16, the Nebraska State Patrol was asked by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to investigate a possible child abuse case involving a 3-month-old girl who had been in her care from Sept. 7 to Oct. 15.
On Oct. 15, Fritsche contacted the girl’s mother saying she was “not acting right and need to go to the Phelps Memorial Health Center Emergency Room.”
The mother then took the girl to her doctor in Kearney, then to Good Samaritan Hospital, where the girl underwent additional tests and a CAT scan the following morning.
The CAT scan revealed the girl had suffered a skull fracture, which medical staff said was most likely not the result of a short fall but probably occurred from a significant blow to the head. A GSH ophthalmologist also examined the girl and said she had multiple retinal hemorrhaging in both eyes, which he concluded was consistent with shaken baby syndrome.
On Oct. 18, the girl was transported via medical helicopter to Omaha Children’s Hospital. That same day, a State Patrol investigator interviewed Fritsche, who said the girl’s injuries may have been caused when she put the girl down into a car seat too hard, and she may have knocked the wind out of the girl.
On Oct. 20, a Children’s Hospital doctor said the girl had suffered two separate trauma events, as determined by an MRI scan. One indicated a three-week-old bleed in the girl’s brain, and the other more current and acute bleed dated to the previous weekend when the girl suffered a left parietal skull fracture.
The doctor told police it was possible to cause the injuries by forcefully putting the child into a car seat. The doctor also said the girl’s injuries could result in learning difficulties later in life as well as temperamental mood changes over her lifetime.
Fritsche’s preliminary hearing was scheduled for 1 p.m. May 23. A Class II felony is punishable by one to 50 years in prison.
http://www.kearneyhub.com/news/local/article_539e79c8-66bf-11e0-a0ee-001cc4c03286.html
Judge Robert Ide issued a warrant for Fritsche’s arrest Feb. 17 and set her bond at 10 percent of $50,000, or $5,000. The bond ordered that Fritsche have no contact with children other than her own, and she can have no children in her care.
Court records outline the case against Fritsche:
On Oct. 16, the Nebraska State Patrol was asked by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to investigate a possible child abuse case involving a 3-month-old girl who had been in her care from Sept. 7 to Oct. 15.
On Oct. 15, Fritsche contacted the girl’s mother saying she was “not acting right and need to go to the Phelps Memorial Health Center Emergency Room.”
The mother then took the girl to her doctor in Kearney, then to Good Samaritan Hospital, where the girl underwent additional tests and a CAT scan the following morning.
The CAT scan revealed the girl had suffered a skull fracture, which medical staff said was most likely not the result of a short fall but probably occurred from a significant blow to the head. A GSH ophthalmologist also examined the girl and said she had multiple retinal hemorrhaging in both eyes, which he concluded was consistent with shaken baby syndrome.
On Oct. 18, the girl was transported via medical helicopter to Omaha Children’s Hospital. That same day, a State Patrol investigator interviewed Fritsche, who said the girl’s injuries may have been caused when she put the girl down into a car seat too hard, and she may have knocked the wind out of the girl.
On Oct. 20, a Children’s Hospital doctor said the girl had suffered two separate trauma events, as determined by an MRI scan. One indicated a three-week-old bleed in the girl’s brain, and the other more current and acute bleed dated to the previous weekend when the girl suffered a left parietal skull fracture.
The doctor told police it was possible to cause the injuries by forcefully putting the child into a car seat. The doctor also said the girl’s injuries could result in learning difficulties later in life as well as temperamental mood changes over her lifetime.
Fritsche’s preliminary hearing was scheduled for 1 p.m. May 23. A Class II felony is punishable by one to 50 years in prison.
http://www.kearneyhub.com/news/local/article_539e79c8-66bf-11e0-a0ee-001cc4c03286.html
Sickening.
ReplyDeleteWhat's worse is her ex husband is unable to gain custody of their two children while all of this is happening. Please let justice be served. Give her the maximum sentence and PLEASE make her give up those two children.
ReplyDeleteSo Kendra was scheduled for court yesterday, according to the local TV and Newspaper she "Failed to appear for court yesterday 5/23/11 and that her Lawyer didn't know were she was". My question is why wasn't a warrant issued for her arrest instead of asking her to please be in court on Wed. 5/25/11?
ReplyDeleteWe sure arent't hearing much about this case.
ReplyDeleteKendra pleaded No Contest to her charges on November 21,2011, sentencing hearing has not yet been set. Hopefully she gets a very tough sentence for this crime. She is a former Speech Pathologist with Kearney Public School, this action and every form of Child Abuse is heartbreaking, why must the innocent be hurt by those that are supposed to be protecting them! Let's start holding these people accountable for their actions, if an adult was hurt so bad that it fractured their skull or hurt bad enough to show bleeding in their eye's you can guarantee that the responsible party would be in prison. Shouldn't our children be given the same if not more protection! It will be very interesting to see what the judge decides is a fitting punishment for fracturing the skull of a 3 month old.
ReplyDeleteMs. Fritsche's sentencing date is January 5th at 11:15AM. Allegedly, a plea bargain has been made which typically means she will only end up with probation for hurting a child and destroying a family and others' time. If you are upset about seeing her get away with what she has done, write to the Judge of the District Court of Phelps County and voice your feelings.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately she was sentenced to a mere 5 months probation and was ordered to pay restitution of $1,551.02. She additionally will no longer be allowed to provide any daycare services.
ReplyDeleteYou people don't know her and should not judge. Remember she has children and your comments can hurt them, too. I have known her my entire life and she would not do the things she is being accused of doing to this child. If you only knew her husband, you would not want them in his care either. This could happen to any daycare provider.
ReplyDelete