Evanston Day-Care Worker Charged With Endangerment
EVANSTON, Ill. (STMW) - The keeper of an Evanston day-care service was taken into custody and charged with child endangerment last week after a child was allegedly observed alone and crying for at least 15 minutes outside her residence.
Miaw Falkenberg, 68, of Dewey Ave. in Evanston, was arrested at her home at 4:45 p.m. Friday. She was charged with endangering the life of a child and contributing to the neglect of a child, Evanston police Cmdr. Tom Guenther said.
Falkenberg is scheduled to appear Dec. 13 in Cook County Circuit Court in Skokie.
Reached at home, Falkenberg indicated Monday she was prepared to offer a different version of events than reported by police. She did not go into detail, however, on the advice of an unidentified individual at the residence.
Guenther said police responded to the scene after receiving a call reporting hearing a child crying for about 15 minutes at the rear of the Dewey address.
Arriving on the scene, police questioned Falkenberg. She said three children were taking naps inside the residence, Guenther said.
He said when police asked her how long the other child had been outside, she estimated "maybe about 45 minutes," and maintained that the child likes to sleep outside, said Guenther.
He said the woman told police she had fallen asleep for about 10 to 15 minutes during that period.
Police summoned detectives from the juvenile division, as well as Evanston Fire Department members who responded to the location to check on the child, Guenther said.
He said firefighters took the child to a local hospital for evaluation. Meanwhile, detectives contacted parents of the other children about the situation, he said.
Guenther said police are working with the Evanston Health Department and Illinois Department of Children and Family Services in an ongoing investigation of the matter.
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