Virginia woman arrested in death of 3-year-old child in Chester County

TREDYFFRIN TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A Virginia woman was arrested in connection with the death of a 3-year-old child in Chester County earlier this month, according to local authorities.

Imani Lewis, 28, of Richmond, Virginia, was charged with manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child after the child she was nannying was found dead in a pond in Wilson Farm Park on September 2, 2024. Lewis was arrested by Tredyffrin Township police on Friday and ordered held on $100,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 26.

Chester County District Attorney Christopher L. de Barrena-Sarobe called the incident “a sad and tragic case that we all wish never happened.” Tredyffrin Police Chief Michael Beaty added, “This death is devastating for the victim's family. Our entire community has felt the impact.”

According to the criminal complaint, police were called to Wilson Farm Park around 6:49 p.m. on Sept. 2 after a 3-year-old child was reported missing. The non-speaking child had been under Lewis' care when she called 911 to report the disappearance. Officers soon found the child unconscious in a storm retention pond near the park.

Emergency responders performed life-saving measures, but the child was pronounced dead. Investigators later determined that Lewis was distracted by her cell phone and was making calls and texting while the child walked away. Video surveillance confirmed that Lewis was using her cell phone and not adequately supervising the child at the time of the incident.

Lewis remains in custody while the investigation continues.

CHERRY HILL, NJ — Former Cherry Hill Mayor Bernard A. “Bernie” Platt has died, Cherry Hill police announced Friday.

Platt, a longtime public servant, was honored for his years of dedicated service to the community. A photo shared by the department shows him standing alongside retired Cherry Hill Fire Chief Robert Giorgio and retired Police Chief Richard Del Campo.

The police department expressed its condolences to the Platt family and said, “We thank him for his years of service.”

Details of Platt's career or the circumstances of his death have not been disclosed. Platt was a prominent figure in Cherry Hill, known for his leadership and contributions to local government.

MINEOLA, NY — A Hempstead woman was sentenced Friday to one to three years in prison for stealing more than half a million dollars from a Nassau County law firm that managed trust accounts for people with special needs, according to Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly.

Michelle Byrd, 55, pleaded guilty in April to grand theft and illegal possession of forged documents after embezzling $526,553 from seven trust accounts between 2014 and 2021. The accounts were set up to assist individuals with special needs, including mentally disabled adults and elderly clients.

“As a case manager for seven trusts, Byrd had a duty to protect the firm's vulnerable clients,” said prosecutor Donnelly. “Instead, she acted in her own interest and stole hundreds of thousands of dollars … and forced a wheelchair-bound stroke patient to sell his home.”

Byrd was employed at a Nassau County law firm where she managed trust funds. Over a seven-year period, she wrote hundreds of unauthorized checks to herself, forged the trustee's signature and falsified bank statements to cover her tracks, prosecutors said.

Their plot was uncovered in April 2021 when Chase Bank flagged a $2,500 check made payable to Byrd. After a brief internal investigation, the bank fired Byrd and turned the case over to the Nassau County District Attorney's Office.

Byrd has since paid $106,287.02 in damages and the law firm and its insurance company have been served with judgments totaling $420,266.41.

Despite the defense's lenient plea, prosecutors recommended a prison sentence of four to 12 years. Byrd was sentenced to one to three years. The case involved multiple victims, including a man with cerebral palsy, a woman who lost several limbs due to medical malpractice, and several elderly clients.