Two arrested over daycare incident
Director, husband charged with endangering a child
By JIMMY GALVAN Managing Editor

Newsboy photo/Charles Kerr GEORGE AND JULIA BLOCK leave the Jasper County Sheriff's office after posting

Jasper Police have arrested two individuals in connection with a child abuse allegation at Young Years Day Care in Jasper.

George Block, 48 and Julia Block, 47, both of Brookeland, were arrested and charged with endangering a child, a state jail felony, in connection with a March 3 case at the day care.

"These are serious allegations and I wanted to take as much time as necessary and be able to look into every avenue to ensure I was proceeding with a good, legitimate investigation so that I would end up with good probable cause to arrest someone or clearly rule out that anything happened," said Det. Chris Ensign of the Jasper Police Department. "After a lengthy investigation, it was quite evident to us that there was more than sufficient probable cause to arrest the Blocks." George Block has been charged with the act of endangering a child while Julia Block is charged with endangering a child by omission or her failure to act on his behalf as his guardian during the day.

According to an affidavit of probable cause, Elizabeth York reported that Julia Block, the assistant director at Young Years Day Care, had allowed her husband George Block to endanger the safety of a child at the facility.

Ensign said York allegedly saw a four-yearold child being bound by his hands and ankles.

The witness then met with Ensign and Dawn Stanley of Child Protective Services on March 7.

"The witness said that due to behavioral issues that Julie Block brought the child outside on March 3 right around lunchtime," Ensign said. "(George Block) arrived to drop her off a drink and told him of the behavioral issues at which time he bound the child's wrist and ankles and held him over the trash dumpster while Julia Block watched."

Ensign said the fouryear old was transported to Beaumont to interview with a child specialist at the Garth House.

"This revealed the same story that the witness had given us," Ensign said. "In these type of interviews, the child is not led in any direction. They are asked some basic questions.

Nancy Blitch, CPS Specialist IV, Child Interviewer, told police the four-year-old's account of the incident.

"I found some inconsistencies with the Block's interviews and found some additional validity with what the witness and child had told us," Ensign said.

According to the affidavit, "interviews with George Block were inconsistent.

"George Block stated in an initial interview that he jokingly threatened to place tape over the fouryear old's mouth and that Julia Block had not used any tape," according to the affidavit. "Julia Block stated during an interview that she had placed tape around (victim's) wrists in a playful manner and that George Block had not used it with the child. In a subsequent interview with George Block, he deviated from his original statement and claimed that his wife had played with (victim) using duct tape and that he had not."

But in an interview conducted with Fox 26 News out of Houston, Block said two teachers at the daycare had disciplined the boy.

According to the Fox26 story posted on their website, Block said, "she went out of the complex to throw away some trash and the child followed her to help out. She added that the boy began to shadowbox.

"Mr. Block approached and placed duct tape around the boy's fists, so that he could realistically box," the story stated.

George and Julia Block were reached for comment for this story but declined to comment.

Shari Pulliam, of CPS, said the investigation into the daycare should be completed soon.

"As soon as Child Care Licensing finishes their investigation this information will be available," Pulliam said.

She stated that the daycare might face some standards violations pertaining to the incident itself.

"The daycare could be put on probation, or their monitoring plan could be dropped," Pulliam said. "That would mean they would be subject to inspections more often and to meet certain criteria the agency stipulates for them. Examples could be more training for staff when it comes to appropriate discipline and what ever else the investigator feels they are lacking in."

Pulliam said once CCL's investigation is complete, letters will be posted at the daycare and information will be placed at www.txchildcaresearcgh.or g.