Legislators says changes needed in investigating child abuse

Two recent, high profile child abuse cases in Iowa have allegedly involved the boyfriends of the child’s mother. Heidi Watkins’ boyfriend, Jesse Wendelsdorf, was charged with murdering her child, Shelby Duis but he was acquitted in a jury trial. This week in Oskaloosa, Clarence Yeo, Junior, was charged with child endangerment for injuries to his girlfriend’s child. Representative Dan Boddicker says it’s time to make it easier to take a child away from a women who’s living with someone who’s not her child’s father.Senator Johnie Hammond, a democrat from Ames, proposes a different approach. She suggests a “team” of investigators — for instance a nurse, a social worker and a prosecutor — visit the home of a potential child abuse victim. She says everyone on the team would have different training and skills. Hammond says they’re not going to find every case, but will find more.Hammond says regardless of the state’s response, though, there is a sobering truth, it will happen again. She says the state needs to do what it can to minimize that possibility.Boddicker, who’s a republican from Tipton, agrees.The two legislators made their comments during taping of Iowa Public Television’s, “Iowa Press.”