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Child victim of sex abuse dies; mother's boyfriend is held

By REBECCA CATALANELLO
Published August 18, 2006

	Eric James Tate planned to marry the girl's mother, a friend said.

LUTZ - The little girl's blue stroller still sits by the door. Toys she shared with two other children clutter one section of the living room.

But the 2½-year-old won't be coming home. Her life ended Thursday in a hospital room at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital, where doctors hooked her to a ventilator and tried to save her from severe injuries that deputies say occurred when her babysitter sexually assaulted her.

Eric James Tate, 18, described by a roommate as a former day care worker who had been dating the toddler's mother, remained in Orient Road Jail as news came near 3:30 p.m. that child was dead.

Deputies say that at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, they received a 911 call about a child with unknown injuries at 14711 30th St. in Lutz.

The girl had suffered severe head injuries, including bruises on her head, ears, back and chin, according to Tate's arrest report.

At the hospital, doctors discovered the baby was bleeding from her genitals. She tested positive for penetration during an exam for evidence of sexual battery. Her genital wounds, Sgt. G.T. Brown wrote in his arrest report, were "fresh and recent."

When investigators searched Tate's house, they said, they found the child's bloody panties on his bed.

They are findings 19-year-old Charles Price simply can't fathom.

He's known Tate since the two of them attended Buchanan Middle and Gaither High together, spending their days playing video games and skateboarding.

Since Aug. 1, the two men had been living in the same house together with their girlfriends, the toddler and two boys ages 5 and 1.

"I'm going to do everything in my power to prove his innocence," Price said on Thursday, calling the charges of capital sexual battery simply untrue.

Tate, he said, is a hippie, a gentle guy with a constant smile. He's a good uncle, someone who loves children. He intended to marry the toddler's mother, and looked forward to becoming a father.

Price said he was at work when Tate called him at noon, crying. "I knew something had happened - something bad," Price said.

Tate told his buddy that he had his back turned and was cuing the movie Shark Tales, the little girl's favorite, when he heard a loud crash.

The girl had been jumping on the couch, Tate told Price, and she fell while his back was turned, hitting the coffee table. Tate told his friends one of the baby's eyes was rolled back in her head and she wasn't moving. He called 911 for help, Price said.

Deputies have not released the toddler's name, nor that of her mother. The St. Petersburg Times was unable to locate any of the baby's immediate family for comment.

Price said Tate and the baby's mother met at a day care where Tate was caring for her daughter, though he could not recall which one.

Tate cared for the girl on and off for about a year, Price said, and began dating her mother about six months ago. The two planned to be married next August.

But since the accident, Price said he had not heard from the baby's mother, who he said had spent the last 24 hours by her child's side.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said the office wasn't releasing the name of the baby because she is considered a victim of sexual abuse. Carter said she wasn't aware Tate had worked in a day care.

Times news researcher Cathy Wos contributed to the report. Rebecca Catalanello can be reached at 813 226-3383 or rcatalanello@hotmail.com.

[Last modified August 18, 2006, 05:32:38]