Forney daycare worker charged after child left on hot bus
FORNEY, Texas - A Forney daycare worker is facing criminal charges after a 5-year-old girl was left in a locked bus on triple-digit day.
Her mother eventually found her still on board in the daycare parking lot two hours after she’d been picked up from school.
Forney 5-year-old left on bus
What we know:
The incident happened on Aug. 14 at Arka Montessori, located off Pinson Road in Forney.
The police report is heavily redacted since it involves a minor.
However, according to the family’s attorney, the 5-year-old was picked up from her school by a bus operated by the daycare. She fell asleep on the ride, and the driver reportedly did not check to see if she got off.
That driver, 37-year-old Jessica Smith-Ward, is now charged with child abandonment and endangerment, according to the Forney police report.
What they're saying:
The family’s attorney said the girl was inside the hot bus for more than two hours.
It wasn’t until her older sister went to pick her up that they realized she was missing. The older sister called their month and the two went looking for her on campus.
"Both her mom and her sister found her on that bus. They saw the little red bandana she was wearing that morning. They saw the buses back there and saw the little red bandana in the window. The girl had gotten up," said attorney Mike Collier.
The girl was taken to the hospital to be checked out and treated for dehydration.
"I need justice for my daughter. I need justice. We have to go through this trauma. I know what I'm feeling right now. Today my child, the place I brought her I think is safe for her and other families, she don't even want to see the building. When I drive around, she says this is a bad place," said Sorie Tejan, her father.
The family has not filed a lawsuit. They said they are sharing their story to make other parents aware.
The other side:
FOX 4 reached out to Arka Montessori for a comment but has not yet received one.
Calls to Smith-Ward to get her side of the story went straight to voicemail.
The Source: The information in this story comes from a Forney police report, as well as comments from the victim's father and the family's attorney.