UPDATE On Now Former Rome Police Department Lieutenant Charged With Running Over Child’s Foot In Daycare Parking Lot

The Georgia State Patrol has concluded its investigation on Richard Penson – a now former Rome Police Department Lieutenant being charged with second degree cruelty to children, which is a felony and misdemeanor counts of hit and run and reckless driving – after he had allegedly run over the foot of a three year old child in the parking lot of a daycare center.

The incident in question occurred on Monday, December 17th. 

The Georgia State Patrol stated in the report that Penson was pulling through the Kids Stop Learning Center driveway at 1700 Dean Avenue in his pickup, while the child was standing with her mother beside their vehicle with the door open on the left side of the lane.

Penson told the Georgia State Patrol he tried to squeeze between their vehicle and another vehicle parked on his right saying he had six to seven inches of clearance and began moving between the vehicles.

When passing between the two cars, the report stated Penson’s back left tire ran over the child’s foot.  The mother picked up the child screamed at Penson, saying “You hit my child” several times. The mother said Penson rolled down his window halfway and she looked at him directly while repeatedly saying he had hit the child.  She then carried the child into the Kids Stop building. Penson told the GSP he waited a few minutes before leaving the daycare saying he didn’t think he hit the child. He said he had heard the mother say something about the child being hit and that he wasn’t sure if the child had been run over or struck during a domestic incident.

The mother of the child took her to Floyd Medical Center where she called 9-1-1.

According to the Georgia State Patrol, a series of misunderstandings including that of which agency would be in charge of that investigation is what led to the delay in the completion of the initial report that was released.

The report advised a Rome Police Officer was dispatched but a report wasn’t completed on December 17th.  On December 20th the Rome Police Department asked the Georgia State Patrol to take over the investigation. The investigation was completed last Thursday, which was when the warrants were taken out against Penson.

The child that was struck had minor injuries, according to the report.

Assistant Rome Police Department Chief Debbie Burnett stated that the delay in handing the investigation over to the GSP came from a miscommunication between the officer that was dispatched on December 17th and the mother of the child – saying the initial officer’s understanding was that due to the commotion at the hospital at the time, the mother would call for another officer once things settled down.  However the mother’s understanding was that another officer would be sent back out later. The mother of the child came to Rome police on the 19th to ask why a police report hadn’t yet been filed.  Burnett said after it was discovered the person who allegedly hit the three-year-old was an employee of RPD, the post commander of GSP Post 38 was contacted and the investigation was handed over to the GSP.

As a result of the arrest, Penson’s job was terminated with the RPD.

“He is innocent until convicted, but we have to separate his employment because his police certification would be immediately suspended once we report this to POST (Peace Officers Standards and Training),” Burnett told Rome News Tribune on Friday.

(Rome News-Tribune/ http://www.northwestgeorgianews.com)

(AM1180 Chattooga County Radio)

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