Police end day-care investigation

Monday, Nov. 13, 2000 | 4:40 a.m.

Police investigators did not find any evidence of criminal neglect by Up and Away Learning Center, said police detective Greta Fye.

She said they turned the case over to Washoe County Social Services, which issued a citation to the center for a lack of supervision.

Caregivers were unaware Alex Macias had wandered away from the center on Nov. 2 and walked across Oddie Boulevard. Passers-by picked him up and took him to a nearby grocery store where his mother, Debbie Barnwell, worked.

Alice LeDesma, child care services supervisor, said the center could contest the citation on Dec. 13 in Sparks Justice Court. But she said owners are in the process of devising a plan to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Up and Away officials have declined comment on the incident.

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