Michigan Mother Aims To Create Child Abuser Registry After Her Son Is Attacked
ST. CLAIR SHORES (WWJ) -- A local mom wants Michigan to become the first state in the nation to create an online Child Abuse Registry after her baby boy was assaulted by his father's girlfriend.
Erica Hammel says that after her son's attack, she started an online petition to get a child abuse registry created. Hammel had used the tools available to her to research her husband's girlfriend at the time, but all the places she searched turned up no information.
"I went on OTIS, which is the Offender Tracking Information System -- couldn't find her," Hammel told WWJ Newsradio 950. "I even searched the sex offender registry -- couldn't find her."
Hammel says that her son Wyatt, now 2-years-old, is getting better. Wyatt was severely shaken by his father's ex-girlfriend back in November 2013. The woman's own children had been taken away from her because she'd abused them as well.
"After everything happened, I knew I felt very failed by our legal system," Hammel said. "I couldn't believe that there was not a registry for convicted child abusers, so I knew I had to do something."
The shaking left the child blinded with multiple brain injuries. The toddler has regained his sight, but still doesn't speak.
Hammel has a couple of state lawmakers helping her to get legislation passed that would allow the creation of the registry. The State Department of Human Services already has a database of people convicted of child abuse, but the list is not available to the public.
Wyatt's assailant, Rachel Edwards, has pleaded no contest to second-degree child abuse and will be sentenced on Thursday. Edwards had two prior child abuse convictions.
