Franklin, TN – Crystal Snow, 22, has been a time bomb parent waiting for casualties for quite some time. Just months ago, in April, she was cited for a vehicle accident in which her then-five children were not properly restrained or in car seats. In August, Snow stabbed her ex-boyfriend in front of her children.  And now, her four year old son, Beqwatrus Miller, has died in yet another collision – because he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt.
The Division of Children’s Services has yet to remove any of Crystal Snow’s children, saying they are “working with her on questionable parenting issues”.  Oh, well, as long as they’re working on it.
Crystal Snow has a penchant for giving her kids nigh-unto-unpronounceable names: Deciandra, 6; Beqwatrus, 4; Lavontasha, 3; and the one year old twins, Jajayveon and Kajayveon. But given that she started having these babies at the ripe old age of 16, I guess it’s no surprise she wasn’t finished adding extra letters and dotting her i’s with little hearts.
But she seemed to be doing all right, even with her near-constant state of pregnancy, until late 2007. Between December of 2007 and August 20, 2008, Franklin police were called to Snow’s house 17 times. SEVENTEEN. That’s a lot of domestic disputes and welfare check-ups, folks.
On April 30, Snow was driving a Plymouth Voyager with her five kids in it when she got into an accident. None of the kids were properly restrained – Deciandra, then 5, was in the front seat without a booster. The twins were in booster seats, but were sliding out of them because infants don’t belong in booster seats. And Lavontasha and Beqwatrus were in the back of the van, unrestrained. The details on that accident are largely unavailable except that it was an “injury accident”. Crystal Snow lost her license, but kept her kids. It was the second time in a month she’d been ticketed for improper child restraint.
In August, Crystal got into a fight with a former boyfriend – not, apparently, an unusual occurrence. She pulled a knife and stabbed him in full view of several of her children. She was charged with aggravated assault, bonded out, and… kept her kids.
Family, friends and neighbors were having fits, calling the Department of Children’s Services, asking for help. DCS hasn’t released how many hotline calls were made, but neighbors say they called multiple times asking for something to be done.
DCS says that improper child restraint isn’t necessarily neglect – that they “take things on a case by case basis”. When asked about whether aggravated assault in front of the kids constituted endangerment or abuse, a spokesman said that the agency had been “working with” Crystal Snow on her “questionable parenting”. Which, I guess, makes it okay that she apparently still had no decent carseats and can’t drive to save her life – or her child’s.
On Saturday, Snow was behind the wheel of a 1992 Buick LeSabre when she ran a stop sign and slammed into a tractor-trailer – or, rather, she slid under it. None of the children was restrained. Beqwatrus, 4, was killed, along with Snow’s current boyfriend Deadrick Harrison, 24.
Snow and her surviving four children were taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in critical condition. They are now listed as “stable” and charges are likely to be forthcoming for Crystal when she gets out of the hospital. Fortunately, the driver of the semi and his wife are okay.
But get this – DCS still says they “have not made a decision” about what to do with Snow’s remaining children if and when they recover. Um, say what?
Jaded’s on this in our forums.
Tags: Child Neglect, Vehicular Homicide
