Exclusive: Mother of Two Girls Was Deported and Police Have No Contact Information
Police chief says mother was deported, credits D.A.R.E program in teaching girl to come to police for help.
To read Patch's initial report on this story, click here.
According to La Grange’s chief of police, the department is having trouble tracking down the mother of a girl who was tied up in the basement of a La Grange home on Monday.
An 11-year-old girl walked six blocks to the police station just before midnight on Monday, June 27 to tell police she had escaped from the basement of her home near the 100 block of Hillgrove Avenue after being tied to a pole in the basement.
The girl and her 9-year-old sister had been living with a court-appointed guardian, Rocio Ochoa, Police Chief Michael Holub said today. Their mother had been deported several years ago, Holub said, and police have not been able to locate any contact information for their mother.
Ochoa was charged on Wednesday with two felony counts for aggravated domestic battery and unlawful restraint. The police chief said it was unclear whether Ochoa was related to the girls in any way, or was a friend of the family.
Currently the sisters are in the custody of Child Protective Services.
“This case is not closed,” Holub told Patch today. “We’re still investigating several details. All the charges stem from what the [11-year-old girl] told us. We’re still looking into [possible charges] relating to her sister.”
According to Holub, the 11-year-old girl told police that she was held in the basement of her home, tied to a pole for several hours with an extension cord. Holub said it was still unclear how exactly the girl managed to escape.
Holub said he credits the department’s participation in the D.A.R.E. program in teaching the girl to come to police for help.
“This girl is a very brave young lady,” Holub said. “She walked six blocks to the station at midnight to find us, and she knew to do that—to come to police for help—because of a D.A.R.E. program in her class. We’re very proud of her.”
The police chief said that both of the girls were safe and in good health, and added that there didn’t appear to be any significant or life-threatening injuries to either girl. However, Holub said that the officers noticed some signs on the girls that, ”Might match patterns that could signal some abuse.”
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Pan Demetrakakes
2:02 pm on Monday, July 4, 2011
Do people understand now why it's not always the best idea to instantly deport every single illegal alien we can get our hands on?
reverened mother
1:08 pm on Wednesday, August 1, 2012
I stand by my previous comment on this topic: THANK YOU COURT SYSTEM FOR F#@ng up another child's life! The authorities and court should be held accountable for this attrocity as much as the demon in whose hands they entrusted these children! Those kids never should have been separated from their mom. Is there no true children's advocate group out there? One who truly supports and defends the innocent? Why are kids' lives determined by a screwed up legal system that treats kids like property or like mindless, voiceless individuals? It's time that something changes. Too many children are either separated from families that have been deported, or returned to the custody of abusive, neglectful people, or are forced into custody or visitation that they don't want or feel comfortable with. The result is future adults with countless emotional, mental or physical disorders - or worse - a child traumatized in a basement. What kind of life are she and her sister going to have now? How long will it take them to overcome this trauma? When they are adults, or parents themselves, how will this entire incident effect how they treat their own children? Thank you, again, dysfunctional court system. Think before you deport. PLEASE! Think before you ruin another child's life. LISTEN TO THE CHILDREN. REWRITE THE LAWS before throwing some other kid 'under the bus'.
Vegasdog.
2:37 pm on Wednesday, August 1, 2012
R.M.-passionately stated.