Articles labeled: Zion

A missing 17-year-old girl from Zion, Illinois was found by police hiding in the closet of a 24-year-old middle school teacher.

Eric Wood, 24, who teaches at Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Waukegan, Ill., was charged only with obstructing justice in the bizarre case surrounding the disappearance of the girl.

The teen’s family filed a missing-person report on Nov. 8.

The following day, Lake County Sheriff’s deputies found the girl at Wood’s Beach Park house after Wood allowed them in to search for her. He initially told authorities that he knew nothing about the girl’s whereabouts.

Ugh. And this “father” didn’t call an ambulance until 5 hours as he punched his infant over and over again the stomach - even though she immediately had difficulty breathing after the beating.

How anybody could think that sucker punching an infant repeatedly is a good idea is beyond us.

Larnell Mace told police he punched 4-month-old Jasmine Mace in the stomach five to six times because she wouldn’t stop crying. His confession followed several other stories he told officers, including a claim that he accidentally stepped on his daughter and an admission to smoking marijuana the afternoon she died, said Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Steve Scheller.