Parents held in separate baby-battering incidents

By Christine McConville and Richard Weir
Boston Herald
Thursday, August 4, 2011

Two parents were in court yesterday in separate, horrific child abuse cases that stunned even veteran cops — a Dorchester woman who is accused of punching her toddler on the T and a Lawrence man accused of battering a 3-week-old child.

Erica Ryan, 25, was arrested Tuesday in Roxbury, after passengers on the MBTA’s Route 23 bus told cops they saw her swear at her son when he refused to eat, then punch him in the face.

“It’s an awful type of crime that the police officers had to respond to, but we are thankful that members of the riding public stepped up and kept the suspect there until police arrived,” said Deputy Transit Police Chief Joseph O’Connor, adding that Ryan punched her son hard “enough to make the child’s head move significantly.”

Upset passengers held her until police arrived, then Ryan fled down Warren Street, screaming, “No one is going to take away my baby,” according to Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley’s office.

When police caught up with her, they reportedly found dried blood around the baby’s mouth.

The boy is now staying with a relatives, Conley added.

Emanuel Quadros, 32, a Lawrence dad, was also arrested Tuesday.

His baby was taken to a Lawrence hospital May 18, with “a broken tibia, a broken femur, multiple rib injuries and some injuries that were already starting to heal,” Lawrence police Chief John Romero said. “We were notified by the hospital that the injuries weren’t consistent with the story.”

“He said he dropped the child, when he realized the baby was unconscious he panicked,” Romero said. “Then he ran into the back bedroom, placed the baby on the bed, slapped him several times, then bounced him up and down.

“And this is a 3-week-old infant,” Romero added. And when police questioned Quadros, Romero said, “He tried to implicate the mother.”

But the probe continued, and Tuesday, Quadros confessed to a state social worker and was arrested, Romero said.

Meanwhile, in Malden, little Carmelo Sears continues to recover, great-grandma Ruth Nickerson said.

The 2-month-old baby suffered a fractured skull and broken leg and fingers when he was tossed onto a sidewalk. His father has been charged.

-— rweir@bostonherald.com

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MBTA forced to rehire employees busted for child rape and cocaine

By AP_News 08/03/2011 21:38:00

BOSTON - Arbitrators have forced the MBTA to rehire several employees who were fired for reasons including drug use and child rape.

The Boston Herald reports that the seven employees the T has rehired out of 22 arbitration cases since 2009 all had their dismissals overturned on technicalities.

Among them, a subway operator who tested positive for cocaine after being caught dozing behind the controls and was awarded her job back by an arbitrator who said the T violated her right to privacy by ordering a drug test.

In another case, a bus driver fired over his 1987 child rape conviction got his job back when the arbitrator ruled that the MBTA knew about his record when he was hired in 2000 and before a 2004 rule change banned convicted sex offenders.

Statement from the MBTA:
The conduct and behavior of our employees is of paramount interest at the MBTA, and that's why disciplinary action is taken when necessary or warranted. As stipulated in collective bargaining agreements, disciplined employees are entitled to avail themselves of an appeals process. While the disciplinary action is often upheld, there are some instances in which an independent arbitrator does not agree with the MBTA's position. The MBTA may disagree with a dissenting opinion, but it still must accept it. While perhaps not perfect, the process is in place to ensure that all parties are given the opportunity to present their arguments to an impartial and unbiased arbitrator.

Read more: http://www.gadailynews.com/index.php?news=71009#ixzz1UMsdWdAd