Tammy Eppley, Ohio Day Care Worker, Accused Of Drugging Snacks

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A central Ohio day care worker sprinkled drugs on snacks to get children in her day care to sleep during the day, according to police charges filed Monday that the woman adamantly denies as a misunderstood joke.

Tammy Eppley was charged in Franklin County Municipal Court with six counts of child endangering after police in suburban Westerville say they obtained text messages in which she admits giving children the allergy drug Benadryl and Melatonin, a hormone and sleep aid.

"Tammy was bragging about how they were all perfectly still and being quiet or asleep," said a police report describing a video Eppley allegedly recorded on her cellphone and sent a friend.

"Tammy jokes about one of the children almost discovering her actions by remarking that the sprinkles on some cupcakes tasted funny," according to the report obtained by The Associated Press through a records request.

Eppley is also accused of mixing crushed Benadryl into pancake batter and juice for the children at her daycare, Caterpillar Clubhouse, Westerville police Det. Richard Tiburzio said in an interview Monday.

Eppley, 37, denied the charges in a phone interview, saying Tiburzio was "obsessed" with pursing the charges against her. She said she did provide drugs to children but only after getting permission from their parents.

She acknowledged making light of giving the drugs in text messages to a friend but said they were jokes.

Eppley described the comments as "very tongue-in-cheek."

"It was, `Good grief, I wish these kids would go to sleep, I wish I could drug them,'" she said.

"I do regret making that comment, obviously," she said. "It was not, `I did it.'"

Tiburzio said he stands by the investigation and there is other evidence in the case.

Franklin County Children Services concluded an investigation in May and are not presently working with Eppley, said spokesman Bruce Cadwallader.

"So to us it's unsubstantiated," he said. "But the police have a different role than we do."

In 2010, two former Ohio church day care workers were each sentenced to six months in jail for slipping Melatonin into candy to get children in their care to sleep.

Ariel Castro Allegedly Attacked Girlfriend, Threatened Neighbors: Police Records

 

CLEVELAND -- A man charged with holding three women captive for about a decade had been accused of threatening his neighbors, attacking his common-law wife and committing violations during his career as a school bus driver, according to records released Monday.

The Cleveland police reports correspond with accounts provided by relatives of suspect Ariel Castro last week that portrayed a man prone to violent outbursts, especially when it came to the mother of his children and incursions onto his property.

Castro, 52, is charged with kidnapping and rape, but prosecutors expect to file more charges. The three women whom he is accused of holding captive disappeared between August 2002 and April 2004. They were rescued last week when one of them escaped the home.

The records released Monday were produced by police officers investigating complaints against Castro. They do not track what happened to the complaints after they were taken.

Several of Castro's relatives and acquaintances have said allegations of violence are at odds with the man they knew, whom they described as polite, a "cool" bass player and a "sweet, happy person."

A veteran defense attorney now representing Castro, Craig Weintraub, did not respond to phone and email messages Monday seeking comment on the current and prior allegations. A public defender had represented Castro at his initial court appearance but said she couldn't speak to his guilt or innocence.

SEPT. 30, 1989:

Grimilda Figueroa called police and reported that Castro, her "common-law husband of nine years," attacked her after she asked him where he was going with one of his brothers. After slapping Figueroa several times, "he then grabbed her and slammed her several times against the wall and several times against the washing machine," according to the report.

Figueroa, who died of cancer last year, was treated at a hospital for a bruised right shoulder, the report said. She told police she had been assaulted by Castro several other times but didn't report it.

Figueroa was referred to the prosecutor's office, according to the report. There is no court record of any charge having been filed.

___

MARCH 10, 1993:

Two parents tried to board Castro's school bus because their son had been getting assaulted, records show.

The parents told police they had begun accompanying him to the bus stop in the morning. On that day, "another such incident occurred in their presence," the report said.

"At which time, they got on the bus to stop it. However were shoved by the driver," the report said. Castro claimed that the parent shoved him back into his seat.

There were no injuries reported, according to the report, which said the case was turned over to the Cleveland city schools. There's no court record of any charges.

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DEC. 26, 1993:

Figueroa again reported Castro, telling police he threw her to the ground, hit her about the head and face and kicked her body. Her son then fled out the front door and Castro chased him, according to the report, which said Figueroa locked the door and Castro couldn't get back in. He ran away when police arrived, and was chased by officers through a neighboring yard and arrested, the report said.

Figueroa told police that she had brain surgery a month before the attack and was prone to seizures, but then refused medical attention.

Although Figueroa told police the next day she didn't want to pursue charges, a city prosecutor filed charges of domestic violence and disorderly conduct. Records show Castro pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct on Dec. 28; a grand jury declined to charge him with domestic violence, county records show.

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NOV. 29, 1994:

A man was checking on rental property near Castro's house and noticed his chain-link fence was missing, according to the records. He went to Castro's home to inquire about it, and Castro became upset, the report said. Castro picked up a shovel and attempted to hit the man with it, then told him that "he was going to take care of him," according to the report.

The incident was referred to prosecutors, the report said, but there is no record of charges being filed.

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MAY 16, 1996

A man who relatives have described as Figueroa's boyfriend after she left Castro was dropping her children off at school when, the man said, Castro pulled up behind him and threatened him.

Castro drove off after the man tried to get out of his car and talk to him, the man told police, adding: "He believes that named suspect would have ran him over if he did not get out of his way."

The situation, described as "an ongoing problem," was referred to prosecutors. There is no record of any charges.

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AUG. 17, 1996

In a 1996 report, a woman who described Castro as her ex-neighbor told police he pulled in front of her driveway and screamed a threat before driving away.

Police referred the woman to prosecutors; there is no record of charges.

___

JAN. 26, 2004

Castro was arrested for abduction and child endangerment after he drove around town with a child on the bus, according to a police report.

The report says Castro told the boy, "Lay down b----," then went inside a fast-food restaurant and ate lunch, leaving the child alone on the bus. Afterward, he drove around for a while and parked the vehicle at a bus parking lot. It wasn't until about 2 p.m. that he returned the child to his home, the report said.

The child was examined at MetroHealth Hospital and released.

Castro told police he noticed the boy in his seat and took the child home after consulting with the teacher by phone, the report said.

The Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services investigated the complaint of child abuse and neglect and found it to be "unsubstantiated."

The police investigation showed there was no criminal intent in the abandoned child case, city Safety Director Martin Flask has said. Police went to Castro's home to question him, but no one came to the door, Flask said. They later interviewed Castro elsewhere, authorities have said.

In a letter dated Oct. 9, 2012, the school district's transportation director, Ann Carlson, recommended that Castro be terminated because he left his bus unattended for four hours the month before.

"Mr. Castro's explanation was that his preschool route was cancelled that day and since he only lives two blocks away, he went home," the letter said.

Courtney Jarrell, Utah Teacher, Accused In Rape Of Female High School Student

A former math teacher and girls' basketball coach at a Utah high school has been arrested on charges of raping a 17-year-old female student.
Courtney Jarrell, 22, resigned from Riverton High School on Friday after being charged with two felonies, object rape and forcible sexual abuse.
According to charging documents obtained by the Deseret News, Jarrell had "illegal sexual activity" with the student at her home between February and March of this year.
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Students at the high school told NBC affiliate KSL that they were shocked by the allegations, since Jarrell, who taught math at Riverton for eight months, was well liked. It was her first teaching job.
"Everybody loved her," Kathryn Orchard, a student at the school, told the station. "My parents, even, were way shocked because my parents loved her, too. They thought she was a great teacher."
Sandy Riesgraf, a spokeswoman for the school district, told KSL that Jarrell had been placed on administrative leave last month after allegations surfaced.
According to Fox Salt Lake City, Jarrell was an honors student and played softball for Utah Valley University. Parents told the station that the sophomore girls basketball team Jarrett coached had just won a championship.

Jarrell's attorney indicated she would enter a not guilty plea for all charges. A court date has been set for May 16. According to CBS News, Jarrell could face five years to life in prison if convicted.