Owner of day care where infant died faces charges
Apex police have charged the owner of a home day care where a 3-month-old died last month with violating state day care statutes.
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Judy Register Lucas was arrested Monday on four felony counts and was released on a $5,000 secured bond.
Authorities were called to Judy's Home Care, at 1300 Laura Duncan Road, on Oct. 26 on a report that an infant had stopped breathing.
The child, Eliana Navy, was taken to WakeMed, where she died. The cause of death hasn't been released yet.
Police said the criminal violations against Lucas occurred between Oct. 1 and Oct. 23 and didn't cover the day the infant died.
Following the girl's death, the state Department of Health and Human Services inspected the home and found 17 violations, ranging from inadequate supervision of children to the lack of an operating smoke detector to poor record keeping.
DHHS suspended Lucas' license, saying conditions at her home "represent immediate danger to the health, safety and welfare of children" being cared for there.
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