By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
CASSOPOLIS - A 15-month investigation culminated in Laura Lee Baugher (Benko), 40, being charged with abusing her son.
Paul “Danny” Benko, 17, came to the attention of authorities on April 5, 2004, when the then 16-year-old was found near death - malnourished, dehydrated, kidneys failing, weighing approximately 40 pounds, physically dirty and suffering from open bedsores.
Paul Benko, formerly of the Niles area, has flourished under the care of an adult guardian, Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz said Wednesday.
Paul had been disabled as an infant due to suffering injuries consistent with shaken baby syndrome, Fitz reported.
At the time, he was living with his parents in California.
Subsequent to those injuries, he developed cerebral palsy, became developmentally disabled, unable to speak and confined to a wheelchair.
Paul had been admitted to a hospital in Mount Vernon, Ill., then transferred to Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in St. Louis, Mo.
Medical officials who attended to him petitioned Missouri Family COurt, which removed the minor from his mother Lora's custody, citing child abuse and neglect.
Fitz said hospital tests also found marijuana and amphetamines in Paul's system. He became a the ward of the court.
The prosecutor on Wednesday announced he is charging Baugher with second-degree child abuse (a four-year felony) and third-degree child abuse (a two-year felony) on or about November 2003 through April 6, 2004, in Cass County based on the 15-month investigation by Michigan State Police and the Cass County Prosecutor's Office.