Inset: Janaina P. Ferreira (North Charleston Police Dept.). Background: The South Carolina apartment complex where Ferreira allegedly ran an illegal day care (Google Maps)
A South Carolina woman, aged 30, faces serious allegations after authorities claim she left eight young children unattended in an illegal day care she was operating from her apartment, which subsequently caught fire in her absence.
Janaina Pio Ferreira was arrested last week and charged with eight counts of unlawful conduct toward a child by North Charleston officials.
According to a news release from the North Charleston Police Department, emergency responders, including police and firefighters, were dispatched to the Arbor Square Apartments on Otranto Road North around 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 12, after receiving reports of a structure fire.
Upon arrival, the emergency teams discovered eight children inside the apartment without any adult supervision. The fire had already been extinguished by the building’s fire suppression system before the firefighters reached the scene, and fortunately, no injuries were reported.
Shortly after the authorities arrived, Ferreira returned to the apartment with several additional children. Investigators concluded that she was running an unauthorized day care from the apartment and had left the children alone when the fire broke out, leading to the criminal charges against her.
Authorities say they determined that Ferreira had been “operating an illegal day care from the apartment” and was responsible for caring for the children but had left them unattended inside the residence while the fire broke out.
Authorities later took Ferreira into custody and booked her on eight counts of unlawful conduct toward a child, one charge for each child allegedly left inside the apartment during the fire, according to the police news release.
Police did not immediately disclose the ages of the children in the home or how long they were allegedly left unattended.
After the children’s parents were contacted about the incident, Ferreira was taken into custody at the scene and transported to the Al Cannon Detention Center for processing.
“The North Charleston Fire Department conducted their investigation and concluded that the fire was due to a faulty aftermarket knob to the stove,” the release said. “NCPD and NCFD are currently collaborating on an ongoing investigation.”
According to a report from local ABC affiliate WCIV, investigators said they believe one of the children left a backpack on top of the stove, which then caught fire.
“Kids, sometimes play with fire, sometimes they play with stoves, sometimes they turn on stoves,” NCFD Chief Deputy Christian Rainey told the station. “We could have been having a totally different talk today — a totally different story.”
Tiffani Lockwood, who owns and operates a nearby child care center, said she did not understand how a parent could choose to send their children to illegally operated facilities.
“You’re really playing Russian roulette with your kids,” she said.
Ferreira is currently being held on $200,000 bond, $25,000 for each charge, records show. She is scheduled to appear in court for her first appearance on May 1.
