Dad abandons newborn daughter in trash can; mother is underaged runaway (Jacksonville, Florida)

Dad DEMETRIUS LAMONT CLARK (who is 37) has been arrested for leaving his newborn daughter in a trash can and then calling 911 to report it to the police. Apparently Dad took the baby away from her 17-year-old runaway mother just moments after giving birth. The mother, who is from Endicott, New York and had been missing for more than a year, had been "staying" with Dad. The mom is considered an underaged victim in this case, and is not being charged.

http://jacksonville.com/news/2009-10-23/story/911_caller_arrested_in_abandoned_baby_case#

911 caller arrested in abandoned baby case
37-year-old believed to have fathered the child with a 17-year-old runaway
By Adam Aasen Story updated at 11:30 AM on Friday, Oct. 23, 2009

A 37-year-old man was arrested on Thursday after police said he left a live baby girl in a trash can and called 911 to report it to police. Police believe the man is the baby’s father and he took the child from its 17-year-old mother just moments after she gave birth.

Demetrius Lamont Clark was arrested on charges of unlawful sexual activity, child neglect and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He’s believed to have fathered the child with a runaway girl who has been missing from New York for more than a year.

No charges have been filed at this time against the mother, who was not names because she’s a minor.

“Right now we are treating her as a victim,” Lt. Robert Schnoover, of the sheriff’s office’s sex crime unit, said.

About 5 a.m. Tuesday, police received an anonymous 911 call from a pay phone that a baby was left in a green trash can outside Greater Works Christian Ministries at 9819 Beach Boulevard, police said. The newborn girl was wrapped in a red blanket and covered in blood and afterbirth, with the umbilical cord still attached.

The abandoned baby was treated at the hospital, but was in good health. The question came down to where the child came from.

Under Florida’s Safe Haven law, new parent who are in crisis can leave a child, seven days old or younger, at a hospital, fire station or emergency medical services center, without any legal consequence. This is, of course, unless there is any child abuse or neglect, in which case charges can still be filed.

In Tuesday’s case, police expected to file charges, but couldn’t locate a suspect.

Investigators wanted to locate the 911 caller, who might be able to shed some light on what happened. The caller, though, didn’t leave a phone number and a name other than, “Mr. Smith.”

“I may be crazy, but I was taking a walk before work and I saw a woman put something in front of greater works ministries... I think it might be a baby,” the man said on the 911 call.

Police traced the phone call to a pay phone and released a surveillance photo of a dreadlocked man they believe made the call. From there, about 50 different people called the sheriff’s office with tips on how to find the man.

One tipster described the man as “Lamont,” and provided a location of the suspect.

Police interviewed Clark and discovered that he was the father of the child. It was also confirmed that the mother was a 17-year-old runaway from Endicott, New York, according to police reports. Clark apparently once dated the girl’s mother and let the runaway stay with him for about a year.

The baby, now called “Baby Grace,” is currently in the care of The Florida Department of Children and Families and is in good medical condition.

“Everyone saying she’s a beautiful girl,” Schnoover said.

DCF spokesman John Harrell the girl will be placed in foster care and DCF will cooperate with the Sheriff’s Office and State Attorney’s Office as they conduction their investigation. He said it’s too early to discuss permanent placement for the child just yet.

“It’s going to take some time, but obviously we need to get to the bottom of this,” he said. “But I can tell you that during this whole process the child will be taken care for and our first priority is this child’s safety.”

Harrell said this case underscores the importance of Florida’s Safe Haven Law. It’s possible that a lot of this trouble could have been avoided if the child was dropped off at a approved Safe Haven site and not discarded in the trash.

“Obviously, we were very disturbed when we heard this news,” he said. “We can’t believe anyone would do that. We’re glad the child was found. The situation could have been a lot worse.”