Santa Barbara County – On Monday, April 28th, according to Sgt. Chuck Strange of the Lompoc Police Department, the local area office of Santa Barbara County Child Welfare Services began “a three-day investigation that began with a tip” reporting the possible mistreatment of a 9-year-old boy.
Pursuant to that citizen report, Child Welfare staff notified Lompoc Police of the potential for criminal activity on the part of Laura Duarte, 37, who was, according to Strange, “caretaker” of the child, serving as his foster mother. It was at that point that Lompoc Detectives, in concert with Child Welfare authorities, began a series of interviews with those adults having any knowledge of the boy’s condition and Duarte’s level of care given him.
Those interviews provided sufficient information to allow law enforcement to conclude that physical abuse of the child had, in fact, occurred. Shortly thereafter, Duarte was positively identified as the likely suspect in the case, and contact was made with her at her Lompoc residence. During her subsequent multiple interviews with detectives, described by Strange as “short but intense”, Duarte reportedly confessed “to several abusive acts against the child victim”, leading to her prompt arrest on charges of felony child abuse.
Duarte was transported to Santa Barbara County Jail where she was booked with bail set at $100,000.
Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking
Read more:
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Lompoc Record: Lompoc woman arrested for allegedly abusing boy
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