The RODRIGUEZ Children - LaRue County KY

by TomTerrific0420 Sun Feb 21, 2010 1:58 pm

LaRue County, Ky. -- A LaRue County, Ky., couple charged with abusing their four children learned their punishment Friday.Juan and Myra Rodriguez were charged with more than 70 counts of child abuse-related crimes between the two of them.The prosecutor said they tortured their children for more than a year.Child
Protective Services caught wind of this case after doctors at Kosair
Children's Hospital in Louisville noticed unusual injuries to a
3-year-old girl. Investigators said the girl had her arm and leg broken.Myra
Rodriguez faced the more serious charges. She was named in a 47-count
indictment on charges of criminal abuse, complicity to commit criminal
abuse, assault and endangering the welfare of a minor."According to statements from the children they had all suffered some type of abuse," LaRue County Deputy Matt Darst.Allegations
against the parents included pushing the kids down the stairs of their
home. Adult bite marks were found on a 10-year-old.Under the agreement, Myra will spend 10 years in prison with the Commonwealth opposing probation.Juan
Rodriguez faced fewer, less serious charges. He made a deal and will
spend 12 months in jail, probated for two years if he stays out of
trouble and out of the state of Kentucky.In both cases, the
prosecutor said the victims and their foster parents agreed to the
punishment. All four children are in foster care."The
allegations were, they were horrible. I mean these kids were tortured
and if it has just been some discipline that went over the line, it may
have not been discovered," said assistant Commonwealth's Attorney
Whitney Meredith.The Rodriguez family had one child of their own
and adopted three children after learning about them on "Wednesday's
Child," WLKY's weekly profile of children up for adoption.Final
approval for the adoption of all children profiled on the program comes
from Child Protective Services, not WLKY. The state does background
checks on adoptive parents. In this case, it was the state that
initiated the police investigation.