Intercepted video leads to woman's arrest on abuse charges

[Hoss68]

Associated Press
Published February 17, 2004 ABU18

MILWAUKEE -- Police arrested a woman after a man's security cameras intercepted images from her video camera showing her allegedly abusing foster children.

William Brookins called police after he watched the images on a monitor from his home security cameras Sunday night. Brookins realized he was intercepting another camera's images, which showed two young girls holding their hands overhead, he said.

He said after 25 minutes, the 2-year-old's arms began to sag. A woman rushed into the picture and hit the toddler in the abdomen and the face, knocking her to the floor.

The girl then got back to her feet and put her arms overhead. Brookins said he also saw the woman in the video hit the 4-year-old on the head with an object.

Detectives arrested a woman in Brookins' neighborhood early Monday. The girls in the video were foster children.

The 39-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of physical abuse of a child, according to the police jail log. The district attorney was reviewing the case.

Six children lived in the home: the 2- and 4-year-old girls and a 5-month-old boy, all in foster care, plus her own children, ages 14, 12 and 10, police said. Investigators did not find signs of abuse on the other children.

The younger children went to different foster homes. Child welfare workers took custody of the woman's children.

Brookins said he watched as the girls stood for 90 minutes with their arms raised before they were allowed to go to bed at 10:40 p.m.

``That is too long for anyone,'' Brookins said. ``I couldn't do it.''

Brookins gave police his tape and then went to bed.

He woke at 4:18 a.m. to find his system still receiving the other camera's picture. He said he saw the 4-year-old girl again standing with her hands up. She stood that way until police arrived around 6:30 a.m.

[conlor]

This is so sick! And what else is going on in other's homes that isn't being caught? The children don't know that what's being done to them is wrong. I'm sure they feel like they're bad because someone is angry with them.

[Hoss68]

I would like to know why it took the police so dang long to respond after receiving the tape!