Mike Foss wrote:
Well said. Parents are responsible for their minor children, not
complete strangers. This conviction is just a result of the absurd
"takes a village" mentality, and would be easily overturned on
appeal. Her defense lawyer was wrong to claim she had any
kind of responsibility, moral or otherwise to the kid.

"Karen Preston" wrote in message ...
Experts disagree with jury verdict against woman in boy's drowning

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

By Paula Reed Ward, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Standing along the bank of a rain-swollen creek, Susan Newkirk
watched as the 2-year-old boy tumbled in and was swept away.

She couldn't swim. Instead of diving into the raging waters
after her friend's son, she yelled to his father for help.

The little boy died.

(snip)

On Sept. 18, 2004 -- the day after Hurricane Ivan brought
torrential downpours across Western Pennsylvania -- Ms.
Newkirk, 41, joined her friend, Thomas E. Reffner, and his
2-year-old son, Hunter Delasko, to do repairs to a trailer
in Claysburg, Blair County.

(snip)

I don't want to get into a debate, but I did want to point out that
according to the news article Ms. Newkirk was a friend of the boy's
father, so she was not a complete stranger. Perhaps the father saw his
son rejoin Ms. Newkirk and expected she would either watch him or bring
him back.

annette