PCS Bail Bonds (www.PCSBailBonds.com), Fort Worth, Texas’ most trusted bail bond service, is weighing in on the $8,500 bail for a Fort Worth woman accused of abandoning and endangering a child at an illegal daycare.
Twenty-five-year-old Latoya Latrice was released on September 9, 2015 on a bond of $8,500 for her role in the death of nine-month-old Dacion Steptoe Jr. The child is said to have died while in the care of Latrice, who was operating an illegal daycare. (Source: Boyd, D., “Fort Worth woman accused of endangering baby who died in her care,” Star-Telegram.com, September 19, 2015; http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/fort-worth/article35850459.html.)
“It’s hard to accept that these things happen,” says Paul Schuder, owner of PCS Bail Bonds. “Children are so precious and to have a child taken away so suddenly is hard to deal with. It’s impossible to imagine the pain the family is going through.”
Latrice had been warned twice by the state and told to shut down what they deemed an illegal daycare center. These warnings were not followed and Latrice admitted to having up to 11 kids at the time Steptoe Jr. was found dead. The state places rules and guidelines in place for a reason; namely, they understand the value of a child’s life and push to ensure that all conditions are met when running a proper daycare. Not following these rules is considered a crime.
“The bail does seem a bit low for the charges, but people looking in from the outside must understand what is actually happening before making any judgements” Schuder explains. “Understand that Latrice is not being charged with murder; the current charges are abandoning/endangering a child, which is a state felony, and operating a child daycare facility without a licence, which is a misdemeanor. There may be some discretion, but the bail must fit the charges and the judge ruled that the set bail amount was fair.”
“Our hearts and our prayers are with Dacion’s parents and family,” Schuder concludes. “No matter the outcome of this investigation, they’ve lost a son and that can’t be replaced.”
PCS Bail Bonds has dealt with countless amounts of cases throughout its over 25 years in the Fort Worth community.