Babysitter Facing Endangerment Charge Pleads Not Guilty to Drunken Driving
Police issue resources for parents
UPDATED, Sept. 10: A 51-year-old Medford woman who has charged with reckless endangerment of a child after police found her in an East Arlington neighborhood, allegedly drunk and high, while she was watching a young boy has lost her license to drive after a new alcohol-abuse charge.
The Boston Herald reported the new charges involving Susan M. Devereaux on Friday, Sept. 9.
Devereaux crashed her 2005 Hyundai Accent into cement poles outside the McGlynn Elementary School on Freedom Way in her hometown shortly before 6:30 p.m. Sept. 2, according to a police report filed in Somerville District Court, the Herald reported.
Devereaux stated that she had been drinking, a Medford police report says, the Herald reported. She pleaded not guilty Tuesday, Sept. 6, in Somerville District Court to charges of drunken driving, her first offense, and reckless operation, the newspaper reported.
Earlier case
On Wednesday, Aug. 31, shortly after 1:30 p.m., police were called to Egerton Road after a resident noticed a woman stumbling around the roadway with a 3-year-old boy in tow. On arrival, officers located Devereaux as she tried to enter a home on Egerton.
The first arriving officer reported a strong odor of alcohol coming from her, and after a conversation, the officer learned that she was the child’s babysitter and she was attempting to enter the wrong house.
Police were able to contact the boy’s mother, who lives on the street, to reunite her with her son. The mother told police that she first hired Devereaux in the springtime by using Care.com, a website that specializes in matching customers with babysitters and caregivers. The mother also told police that they had used Devereaux several times, through Care.com and later by reaching out and paying her directly.
Arlington police detectives will be consulting with Care.com management about this incident.
It was determined that Devereaux consumed multiple alcoholic beverages and had taken prescription drugs earlier in the day.
Chief Freed Ryan is urging all residents to take extra care when hiring a babysitter or searching online for a caregiver for loved ones.
“I urge everyone to take all possible extra steps you can take while screening a potential babysitter or caregiver. A reference or a website’s background check should only be one component of a larger vetting process,” Ryan said in the release. “Never rely solely on one reference or a single report.”
The Arlington Police Department filed a mandatory report with the Department of Children and Families, and after consulting with DCF, the decision was made to file charges.
“We commend the caller who reported this dangerous situation,” Chief Ryan said. “What matters most is that the young child was not harmed.”
Devereaux will be arraigned at a later date in Cambridge District Court.
Resources for researching child care
Following the report of a babysitter chosen from Care.com, Ryan and the Police Department sent to media outlets these resources to research prospective child-care providers to better ensure their children remain safe:
When searching for a babysitter, parents and guardians can conduct a background check on an individual through the Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) by visiting the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services online.
Once on the homepage, click on the CORI link in the left hand column under “Our Organization.” Then scroll down to the Child Care Provider Request Form under the “I want to Request Someone Else’s CORI” heading. Here, a form and the directions for use are provided. Community members can also obtain the form here >>
To submit the form, residents will be required to pay a $25 processing fee to the Commonwealth. Parents and guardians will then receive a Level 2 Category of Access, which includes all adult/youth offender convictions, non-convictions and pending offenses. Community members can also contact the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services CORI Unit at 617-660-4640 for additional information not provided online.
“You can never be too cautious when it comes to your children,” Ryan said in a news release Friday, Sept. 2. “While the overwhelming majority of child care providers are more than responsible and of good character, one should never assume that is the case. We advise that residents take extra precautions when hiring a care giver by submitting a CORI form and requesting references. Never rely on one report to make a decision about a person. Use all resources available to you to ensure you have the best possible picture of a person’s character before allowing them into your home and in contact with your children.”