Saturday, March 24, 2018

Motion asks for former Joplin day care center owner charged with nine counts of child endangerment to be released on her own recognizance

The lawyer for a former Joplin daycare owner charged with nine counts of endangering the welfare of a child and one count of being a mandated reporter and failing to report child abuse filed a motion to have his client's bond reduced.

Judge Joseph Hensley set bond for Betsy Coleman, 43, at $20,000 cash or surety and $5,000 cash only.

In his motion, Webb City attorney Bradley R. Barton called for his client to be released on her own recognizance or as an alternative on a $20,000 code bond.

Barton points out that Coleman has no prior criminal history, is not a flight risk, has strong ties in the community and is employed. "(She) has had no contact with any alleged victims and (she) will not have any communication with any alleged victims."

If Coleman is released, a condition of her bond is that she have no contact with Kent Hagan, her former live-in boyfriend.

Hagan is currently in a federal prison awaiting trial on child pornography charges.

Hagan was arrested after a Joplin Police Department investigation that started with Coleman telling a woman that Hagan had "creepy photos" showing the bottoms of two children at the unlicensed day care center, as well as numerous child pornography photos.

Coleman told police she deleted the photos.

She also revealed that she kicked Hagan out of the home/day care center at 1409 W. 9th Street, but then she allowed him to return.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Was that comment that I left too much to publish?

How about a simple, who would drop their kid off in that neighborhood and not expect something bad to happen?

Better? More likely to get posted?

Anonymous said...

Are you really judging someone based on a neighborhood? There are plenty of good people living in bad neighborhoods, that is the most naive ignorant comment I have read in a long time. This is not the parents fault, they trusted this person regardless of where she was located. She allowed a predator near these children, she absolutely should be charged and definitely not the parents fault. And my goodness I hope you are never judged based on a "neighborhood" moron!