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Daycare worker Paris Ward (pictured left) has been charged with aggravated manslaughter in the death of 4-year-old Jordan Coleman (pictured below), who was under her care when she allegedly left him sleeping in a sweltering SUV last month.  The child’s body temperature rose to a fatal 108 degrees when he was rushed to a Coral Springs., Fla., hospital, where he was pronounced dead as a result of hypothermia, reports the Daily Mail.

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According to the arrest report, Ward was asked by the owner, Cecily Roberts, of the 3 C’s Daycare Academy (pictured) to drive seven young children to her friend’s apartment because she was past her capacity as per state guidelines.  The day care, which has previously been cited and has a history of problems over safety concerns, has been shut down.

Following Robert’s request, Ward chauffeured the children to the friend’s home, and while en-route, Coleman fell asleep. After two and a half hours, Coleman’s 5-year-old cousin noticed that the boy was missing.  When Coleman was discovered, he was unresponsive, and despite the resuscitation attempts of an apartment resident who tried CPR and rescue workers, the child could not be revived.

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Police investigators allege that Ward lied to them about how Coleman wound up in the vehicle.  She told them that the boy had somehow collapsed while getting in to the SUV. Ward later recanted her story and explained to police the exact details of the events as they occurred, though she did object to turning herself in to authorities after an arrest warrant had been executed.

Now Ward’s attorney, Derek Lewis,  is arguing that the $10,000 bond that has been posted for his client is excessive, particularly since she has no prior criminal record, no reports of violence, and is clearly not a menace to society.  He also contends that the recent high school graduate had not been properly trained on how to do a roll call of the children when taking them on outings.

Meanwhile at Ward’s hearing, Broward County Circuit Court Judge John Hurley stated, “It appears this is really tantamount to just extreme, gross negligence, at a minimum, which allegedly caused the death of the child.  And what’s unfortunate is that it does appear that Ms. Ward and the others at the day care center knew of this dangerous situation and they had been warned and cited, I believe, in the past regarding these matters.”

The investigation is still ongoing.