Thread: Woman Charged In Texas Daycare Fire Waives Extradition

Woman charged in Texas fire waives extradition:

Published: Monday, March 21, 2011 3:21 p.m.

MDT By Juan A. Lozano, Associated Press

HOUSTON — A woman who fled to Nigeria last month after a fire at her Houston home day care center killed four children was returned to the U.S. on Monday and has waived extradition to Texas, authorities said.

Jessica Tata landed at an Atlanta airport shortly after 5 a.m. on a flight from Lagos, Nigeria, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. The 22-year-old was booked into the Fulton County jail, where she will remain until authorities arrange to take her to Texas, sheriff's spokeswoman Tracy Flanagan said.

U.S. marshals will head that effort. Agency spokesman Dave Oney declined to say when the transport would take place but said the process should be complete within a week. Tata waived extradition during a court appearance in Atlanta, said Flanagan, who didn't have information on whether Tata had an attorney.

Tata was taken into custody Saturday in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Authorities believe she fled to the West African nation two days after the Feb. 24 fire, which also injured three children. Investigators believe Tata went shopping and left all seven children alone before a stove-top burner that was left on ignited the blaze.

The U.S. Marshals Service, which headed the search for Tata, said agents with the international police agency Interpol had been in Port Harcourt since Friday and were able to locate Tata based on leads and information from Interpol Washington, the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security and other authorities.

Tata's brother, Ron Tata of Houston, told The Associated Press on Saturday that relatives in Nigeria told him that his sister turned herself in to the U.S. Consulate. He did not immediately return a message Monday. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee of Houston told reporters Monday that she also was told Tata had decided to turn herself in to U.S. and Nigerian officials.

Oney said Tata had been captured, and the U.S. Marshals Service said in a statement that, "You cannot thumb your nose at the justice system, whether it be domestically or abroad. Justice will be served. Jessica Tata has learned this."

Tata has been charged with manslaughter, injury to a child and child abandonment. The manslaughter charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Fire investigators have said they received a tip shortly after the blaze that Tata had family in Nigeria and might flee.

She was put on the U.S. marshals' list of the 15 most wanted fugitives and the agency had offered a reward of up to $25,000. The agency said it has received some claims for the reward money and it is working through them to determine their validity.

Interpol had alerted its member countries, including Nigeria, that Tata was being sought by the U.S.

Associated Press writer Leonard Pallats contributed to this report from Atlanta.

Fulton County Sherriff's Office, HO, Associated Press
In this photo released Monday March 21, 2011 by the Fulton Country Sherriff's Office shows Jessica Tata.

Tata was arrested in Nigeria and transferred to the U.S. to face manslaughter charges relating to a Feb. 24, 2011 fire at her Houston, Texas day care center that killed four children and injured three others. Tata had left the children alone while she shopped in a nearby store when the fire broke out according to authorities. .

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/7001 ... _cid=rss-5

here is an earlier post regarding this situation

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-230122.html

by ALISON TRIARSI
wfaa.com
Posted on March 22, 2011 at 7:50 AM
Updated today at 1:16 PM


HOUSTON – Jessica Tata, the woman charged in connection with a day care fire that killed four children, was taken to the Harris County Jail early Tuesday after returning on a flight from Atlanta, officials said.

Investigators said Tata fled to Nigeria on Feb. 26, two days after a fire at her home day care center killed four children, and injured three others. She initially told investigators she was in the bathroom when the fire started in the kitchen. However, investigators said Tata left the children alone in the house while she went shopping at Target.

The fire was believed to have started by a stovetop burner that had been left on, officials said.

Tata was charged with manslaughter, reckless injury to a child, abandoning a child and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

A private plane carrying Jessica Tata landed at Hooks Airport in Houston at 12:41 a.m. Then U.S. Marshals deputies drove Tata to the Harris County Jail inmate processing center in downtown Houston.

Two dozen law enforcement officers surrounded the Harris County Jail as three vehicles pulled up carrying Tata and deputies.

The 22-year-old woman held her head down as she exited a SUV with officers at her side. She offered no comments as reporters asked her if she had anything to say to the victims’ families.

Tata was set to be entered into the Harris County Jail system before appearing before a judge.

“She will go through the process as all inmates do, which is to go through a medical screening, as well as a psychiatric evaluation,â€