Hastings woman pleads not guilty in child abuse case

HASTINGS, Neb. (KSNB) - The Hastings woman accused of child abuse resulting in serious injury has pled not guilty to felony negligent, child abuse causing serious bodily injury according to Adams County Court documents.

23-year-old Jade Essink, who runs a private unlicensed daycare facility in Hastings, told police that a three-year-old child ran into a one-year-old child who than ran into a 10-month-old. Essink said that this led him to fall into their fireplace.

After Hastings Police arrived later, they took the child to Mary Lanning Healthcare where it was determined that he needed to be life-flighted to Children’s Nebraska Hospital in Omaha.

Doctors in Omaha determined he had a brain bleed with a scar seven to eight inches long and up to two inches deep and fractures on his skull behind both ears. They also found a fractured shoulder blade.

Children’s Hospital in Omaha also brought up a previous incident of a broken femur that did not properly heal.

The Hastings Police Department investigated that incident when the child was just 6-months-old.

Captain Jason Haase with the Hastings Police Department told Local4 that one of the reasons the case was closed was because of a doctor explaining that it wouldn’t have taken much force for the femur’s spiral fracture at that age.

“Evidence was inconclusive on how the injury occurred,” Haase said.

As the child recovered in Omaha, more evidence came to light. According to the affidavit, an eye exam was done at Children’s Hospital and it was discovered that the child had retinal hemorrhages.

HPD was advised that retinal hemorrhages would be consistent with abusive head trauma and not with a short fall.

Local4 searched for Essink on the Department of Health and Human Services website and could not find a license.

Essink’s daycare would not have to be licensed as long as she was taking care of children from fewer than four families.

Essink was taken into custody in Hastings in January.

She will be back in court on July 19.

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