IYANA SPENCER - 5 yo - Gadsden AL

A 5-year-old Gadsden girl was in critical condition Monday afternoon at Children’s Hospital with serious injuries from alleged abuse.
The girl’s stepfather, Steven Jamar Jackson, 23, is being held in the Etowah County Detention Center after his bond was revoked on a previous child abuse charge from 2008.


Iyana Spencer was flown to Children’s Hospital in Birmingham about 7:30 p.m. Friday from a landing zone at the parking lot of the Mort Glosser Amphitheatre at the intersection of First and Walnut streets. Gadsden Fire Department medics received a call about 6:30 p.m. that a child had fallen in her bedroom at a house in the 1300 block of Kentucky Avenue. Medics called the police department.The child was unconscious, and the decision was made to transport her by ambulance to a landing zone, where she was flown by helicopter to Children’s Hospital. Gadsden police detective Wayne Hammonds said doctors are reporting the child has a skull fracture and a lacerated liver. No charges in the Spencer investigation have been filed against Jackson, but he is awaiting trial on a child abuse charge from a case in November 2008 in which his 6-month-old child had a broken arm, according to court documents. Jackson was indicted by an Etowah County grand jury, and he was released on bond.Conditions of that bond were that he not have contact with anyone younger than 18 years old. After he was taken into custody as a suspect in the alleged abuse of the 5-year-old girl, that bond was revoked.

Man charged with child abuse in incident that left child critically injured

By Kendra Carter
Times Staff Writer

Published: Tuesday, November 23, 2010 at 3:13 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, November 23, 2010 at 3:51 p.m.

A Gadsden man has been charged with child abuse stemming from an incident on Friday that critically injured a 5-year-old girl.

Steven Jamar Jackson, 23, has been charged with aggravated child abuse, Gadsden police announced at a Tuesday press conference.

Iyana Spencer, Jackson’s stepdaughter, was flown to Children’s Hospital in Birmingham for surgery about 7:30 p.m. Friday from a landing zone at the parking lot of the Mort Glosser Amphitheatre.

Spencer was in critical condition Tuesday afternoon, according to a hospital spokesperson.

Gadsden Fire Department medics received a call about 6:30 p.m. that a child had fallen in her bedroom at a house in the 1300 block of Kentucky Avenue. Medics called the police department.

“The 5-year-old child was admitted with traumatic brain injury, including epidural and subdural hematoma, lacerated liver, pulmonary contusions (and) multiple bruises and injuries to the genital area,” said Juvenile Detective Wayne Hammonds at Tuesday’s news conference.

Hammonds said there was some indication of sexual abuse to the child. He said the injuries could have been sustained during her surgery, but said based on his conversations with the child’s doctor, that scenario was unlikely.

Evidence was collected for a rape kit.

Jackson is being held in the Etowah County Detention Center on a $125,000 bond.

He is awaiting trial on a child abuse charge from a case in Nov. 20, 2008, in which his 6-month-old child received a broken arm, according to court documents.

Jackson was indicted by an Etowah County grand jury, and he was released on bond.

Conditions of that bond were that he not have contact with anyone younger than 18 years old. After he was taken into custody as a suspect in the alleged abuse of the 5-year-old girl, that bond was revoked.

Hammonds said another child, Jackson’s 11-month-old daughter, also was inside the home, and Jackson was the only caregiver for the children present, at the time of the alleged incident.

He said Ruthie Jackson, Jackson’s wife and mother of the two children, was not aware of the previous charges pending against her husband.

Hammonds said she will not face any criminal charges.

http://www.gadsdentimes.com/article/20101123/NEWS/101129962/-1/opinion01?Title=Man-charged-with-child-abuse-in-incident-that-left-child-critically-injured-

Poster's Note: People need to make sure they know people a whole lot more before they bring them into their children's lives IMO. But the worst thing here is how long it takes to have a trial these days. This guy should have had a trial for his 2008 offending and he would have been in prison. So frustrating!

Police say Iyana Spencer, a 5-year-old Gadsden girl, reportedly was taken to the Gadsden Regional Medical Center emergency room early last week, just days before she was flown to Birmingham with traumatic injuries.
Spencer’s stepfather, Steven Jamar Jackson, was arrested Saturday and booked in the Etowah County Detention Center.
Gadsden police on Tuesday said Jackson, 23, has been charged with aggravated child abuse in an incident alleged to have taken place Nov. 19.
This is the second time Jackson has been arrested on child abuse charges.
Gadsden Fire Department medics received a call about 6:30 p.m. Friday that a child had fallen in her bedroom at a house in the 1300 block of Kentucky Avenue. Medics called the police department.
Gadsden Police Juvenile Detective Wayne Hammonds on Tuesday said Jackson said he heard a noise coming from Spencer.
When he went to check on her, Hammonds said, he found her lying on the floor shaking and called 911.
Hammonds said when medics arrived, they were met by Jackson holding an unresponsive Spencer, who showed signs of brain injury.
Spencer was flown to Children’s Hospital in Birmingham for surgery about 7:30 p.m. Friday from a landing zone at the parking lot of the Mort Glosser Amphitheatre.
She remained in critical condition Tuesday afternoon, according to a spokesman at Children’s Hospital.
“The 5-year-old child was admitted with traumatic brain injury, including epidural and subdural hematoma, lacerated liver, pulmonary contusions, multiple bruises and injuries to the genital area,” Hammonds said Tuesday at a news conference.
He said there was some indication of sexual abuse to the child.
He said the injuries could have been sustained during surgery, but based on his conversation with the child’s doctor, that scenario was unlikely.
Evidence was collected for a rape kit.
“The child is not doing any better, not doing any worse,” Hammonds said.
He said if Spencer goes the next three days without any additional swelling to her brain, she “may get over the hurdle.”
“But it’s really not looking good at this time,” he said. “Too many injuries.”
Hammonds said the girl’s mother, Ruthie Jackson, told police she’d noticed things that caused her to question her daughter.
“She had actually questioned her daughter (to see) if the stepdad was doing anything to hurt her, and the daughter told her no at that time,” he said.
Hammonds said Spencer was at the Gadsden Regional Medical Center emergency room Nov. 15 with swelling to her face and lip and a cut under her eye. He said Jackson told the girl’s mother the two had been play boxing and that the girl tripped, hitting his fist and cutting her eye on a ring.
Jackson told police Spencer fell from her bed on Friday, Hammonds said.
He said the distance from the girl’s mattress to the floor is about 23 inches.
Jackson is being held in the Etowah County Detention Center on a $125,000 cash bond, Hammonds said.
He is awaiting trial on a child abuse charge from a case on Nov. 20, 2008, in which his then-6-month-old child suffered a broken arm, according to court documents.
Hammonds, who was a detective on the 2008 case, received a call to GRMC for a child with “a spiral fracture of the upper bicep area.”
Jackson told police the baby was on a bed and her arm got wedged between cushions and must have been broken at that time.
However, he later confessed to injuring his daughter, Hammonds said.
Jackson was indicted by an Etowah County grand jury and was released on bond.
Conditions of that bond were that he not have contact with anyone younger than 18 years old. After he was taken into custody as a suspect in the alleged abuse of Spencer, that bond was revoked.
Hammonds said another child, Jackson’s 11-month-old daughter, also was inside the home Friday, and that Jackson was the only adult in the home at the time of the alleged incident.
Hammonds said Ruthie Jackson, Jackson’s wife and mother of Spencer and the 11-month-old infant, was not aware of the previous charges pending against her husband. The child involved in the 2008 incident was from a previous relationship.
Hammonds said Ruthie Jackson will not face any criminal charges.