BURLINGTON, Iowa – A Burlington woman is charged with Child Endangerment after she allegedly hired a convicted sex offender to watch children for her Respite Care service.
On May 5, 2012, officials with the Department of Natural Resources made contact with Tammy Love, of Burlington, Iowa along with a man they say is a registered sex offender–he has not been publicly identified.
Since there were children with the pair at the time, officials questioned Love about her relationship with the man. She then told them that the man was an employee for her business, “Tammy Love Respite Care.” When the DNR officials told Love that the children’s parents may have a problem with them being in the presence of a convicted sex offender, she responded that “she did not think about it like that.”
The case was then referred to the Department of Human Services.
The investigation revealed that Love had met the sex offender while he was in prison and hired him when he was released in February 2012. Love claims that she looked up the man’s court records but only saw convictions of Burglary and Attempted Murder, but no sex offenses.
When the parents were interviewed, they told the DHS that the man had spent time alone with the children.
