Daycare driver charged in boy’s death said she didn’t know safety alarm rules, cops say
The daycare van driver facing an aggravated manslaughter charge after a 2-year-old boy died in a sweltering van in Oakland Park in July told investigators she had “never been given instructions” on the proper use of the van’s safety alarm meant to prevent children from being left behind, according to an arrest warrant.
Engrid Thurston, who was arrested on Sept. 6 and later released on a $25,000 bond, had told investigators she turned off the alarm before making sure Noah Sneed and nine other children were off the bus. She didn’t go back to the van to check that it was empty — as required by law — because her “knees and joint were aching,” court records show.
About six hours later a teacher found Noah’s backpack inside and Thurston went to check the van, where she found him.
The recently released arrest warrant gives a glimpse of what really happened that day at Ceressa’s Day Care & Preschool and contains responses from Thurston, daycare director Lakeila Harris, teacher Emma Thomas and owner Linda Harris. None of the people involved in the incident have spoken publicly since Noah’s death. In addition to the safety alarm, the attendance log from the van was never compared to the log from inside the center.
On July 29th, Thurston picked the van up from Linda Harris’ house and picked Noah up at 9:02 a.m. She then picked up other children before going to the center at 3140 NW 21st Ave.
Before any of the children exited, she climbed to the back of the van to shut off the alarm, the warrant says. In 2013, Broward passed an ordinance that requires transport vans to have a safety alarm to ensure that no child is left behind.
“Once the detective explained to Engrid Thurston that turning off the van’s safety alarm system before removing the children defeated the purpose of the safety alarm system being installed in the van, she advised that she had never been given instructions as to the order of events to turn off the safety alarm system,” a detective wrote in the warrant.
Lakeila Harris, the director of the daycare, also said she didn’t know the proper order of turning off the system.
But the owner, Linda Harris, told investigators that the children were supposed to be taken off the van before the alarm was shut off. She also said she had “explained the proper procedure to employees,” according to the warrant.
Another issue investigators had was with the attendance logs. According to the warrant, Thurston wrote down the time she picked up each child, but that list was never compared to the attendance roster taken inside.
Lakeila Harris said she did that every day, but just didn’t do it on the day in question. Investigators say the center was violating state statutes by not following safety procedures.
Another problem investigators found: The van’s tinted windows were too dark, not allowing anyone to see in from the outside.
So far, Thurston has been the only person charged in Noah’s death.
This story was originally published September 24, 2019 at 8:07 PM.
