4-Year-Old Found With Alcohol Poisoning, Family Looking For Answers
By: Christine McCarthy

(KUTV) The father of a 4-year-old girl with cerebral palsy is begging for answers after his daughter was found with alcohol poisoning last month.

Paul Silva has temporary custody of Le'A, who was three years old at the time, as Weber County Sheriff's detectives investigate the incident in which her mother called 911 to report her unresponsive at her Marriott-Slaterville apartment on April 11.

Le'A's mother had primary custody of her prior to the incident and Paul was allowed visitation every other weekend.

"I was at work and I got a call saying that my daughter is not breathing and she's getting rushed in the ambulance to the hospital," Paul said. "They did a bunch of tests and they ended up finding alcohol. Her blood alcohol [content] was way high."

Le'A's health was already compromised. She is on a feeding tube and breathes with the help of a tracheostomy tube. She can move her head slightly but cannot walk or crawl.

"From day one, she's had a G-tube for her feeding. She gets pumped milk into her, and she eats every three hours," Paul said.

"A lot of complications through her four years of life, and in and out of the hospital," said Le'A's aunt, Crystal Silva, who helps take care of her.

Le'A was treated at both McKay-Dee Hospital and Primary Children's Medical Center. She underwent dialysis as part of her treatment and was eventually sent home, Paul said.

Paul and his family members say, because of her condition, Le'A couldn't have come into contact with alcohol by herself, and they are calling for charges to be filed against anyone who might be responsible.

"There's no possible way that she could feed herself, so it has to be an adult that has to provide that for her," said Crystal. "Put someone away for what they were doing to her."

Paul Silva believes someone deliberately poured alcohol in Le'A's feeding tube in order "to sedate her or kill her."

The Silvas are not accusing Le'A's mother of poisoning her, but they believe she could be to blame because she primarily took care of the girl with the help of a home care nurse.

Officials have not said the mother is suspected of poisoning Le'A, and no one has yet been charged, but the investigation could lead to criminal charges, according to Lt. Mark Lowther of the Weber County Sheriff's Office. Detectives are actively investigating the case and testing is being conducted on Le'A's ingestion rates and alcohol levels, he said.

"Never forgive somebody for that, but they need to pay," said Le'A's uncle Brian Vega. "How can you even fathom doing this to a little girl?"

Le'A is doing well and is back at school at Utah School for the Deaf and Blind in Ogden, her father said.

"She pulled off another miracle. She proved everybody wrong," Paul said.

2News reached out to Le'A's mother by phone and at her home, but made no contact.


(Copyright 2013 Sinclair Broadcasting Group)



Weather: Forecast For May 20, 2013

Weather update for the morning of May 20, 2013: Scattered showers & thunderstorms have continued through the early morning hours giving us a little lightning at times.  Temperatures have dipped to the high forties this morning.

Forecast for Today & Tonight:  Rain and possible thunderstorms will continue in waves today.  Temperatures won`t be all that cold.  We still expect a high in Salt Lake of 68-degrees.  Periods of sunshine by this afternoon.  This evening will drop to the high forties again.  We`ll have mostly clear skies in the overnight hours.

Utah Firefighters Honored After 70 Years
(KUTV) Utah firefighters and their families were remembered for their sacrifice 70 years ago on Sunday.

The special tribute honored three killed during the Victory Theater Fire in 1943. A second floor balcony collapsed, killing Theron Johnson, Harry Christensen, and Melvin Hatch.

One of the firefighters who gathered at the Memorial had a special tie the ceremony – his grandfather was injured fighting the Victory Theater fire, and his great uncle was one of the fallen brothers.

(Copyright 2013 Sinclair Broadcasting Group.)

West Jordan High Student Reaching New Heights
(KUTV) Just a small amount of kindness is making a big difference in one Utah student's life. Bryan Gilchrist suffers from dozens of strokes every day but  he never thought he'd have the chance to be part of a high school team.

The West Jordan High sophomore is a new member of the school's track and field team, but it's not so much about the thrill of competition, as it is about the confidence Bryan's gained from being part of a team.

"I decided to be a thrower," Bryan said. He also competes in other field events, including the long jump.

But just being on the team is important to him, maybe because it's the first team he's ever been apart of.

Still, his days are unpredictable, he suffers from a rare disease which produces severe seizures.

"When I was at Walmart I hit my head against the floor.I used to deal with 27 seizures a day again." Bryan explained.

That's one of the reasons why his family was a little surprised when he said  he wanted to go out for track and field.

"We were kind of hesitant and nervous about him doing so," said Bryan's father Brad Gilchrist.

But his teammates have made Bryan feel like one of their own and that's made a huge difference "He's great, he tries his hardest, he does all the coaches ask him to do." says teammate Colton Jones.

Bryan's mother Geri Gilchrist says she's seen her son grow by leaps and bounds. "Every single one of these team members have really demonstrated what sportsmanship is all about," she says.

"They're the heroes to this story. They're the ones who really showed Bryan how to get to [his own] finish line--they're the ones that got him there."

Even though Bryan doesn't always succeed on the field the cheers
he hears from his teammates are inspiring to him and keep pushing him forward.

But his family says whether he clears a jump or not, he's already won. "Bryan's had the best year of his life," Geri said.

(Copyright 2013 Sinclair Broadcasting Group)



Keepin' It Fresh: May 20, 2013
(KUTV) It's time for Keepin' It Fresh.

That's when the 2News AM Crew play back through all the flubs and funny accidents through the last week of morning show news.

Just watch!

(Copyright 2013 Sinclair Broadcasting Group)
Utah Soldier Among Latest Casualties In Afghanistan
(KUTV) 21-year-old Cody Towse from Utah County is among the latest U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan.

Towse was reported missing after an improvised explosive device detonated close to where the Army Private First Class was standing.

The family was informed by the military of the situation this week. Late Saturday night 2News was able to confirm that Towse was indeed, killed in action and we spoke with his family and friends.

"He died for a noble reason, because he went there to save lives." said Jim Towse, Cody's father.  There were dozens of flags outside the Towse home courtesy of the local Boy Scouts.

Brad Drayton was Cody's one-time scout leader and friend of the family. Drayton said Cody was always looking for ways to serve the community.

"As a scout leader, it was fun to have him in the troop, he always made people laugh and always made scout camp an exciting time."

"He felt a tremendous sense of duty to serve, he served in our community as an EMT since he was 19. He's always been looking for ways to serve and help out his fellow man," Drayton said.


(Copyright Sinclair Broadcasting Group)
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4-Year-Old Found With Alcohol Poisoning, Family Looking For Answers
By: Christine McCarthy

(KUTV) The father of a 4-year-old girl with cerebral palsy is begging for answers after his daughter was found with alcohol poisoning last month.

Paul Silva has temporary custody of Le'A, who was three years old at the time, as Weber County Sheriff's detectives investigate the incident in which her mother called 911 to report her unresponsive at her Marriott-Slaterville apartment on April 11.

Le'A's mother had primary custody of her prior to the incident and Paul was allowed visitation every other weekend.

"I was at work and I got a call saying that my daughter is not breathing and she's getting rushed in the ambulance to the hospital," Paul said. "They did a bunch of tests and they ended up finding alcohol. Her blood alcohol [content] was way high."

Le'A's health was already compromised. She is on a feeding tube and breathes with the help of a tracheostomy tube. She can move her head slightly but cannot walk or crawl.

"From day one, she's had a G-tube for her feeding. She gets pumped milk into her, and she eats every three hours," Paul said.

"A lot of complications through her four years of life, and in and out of the hospital," said Le'A's aunt, Crystal Silva, who helps take care of her.

Le'A was treated at both McKay-Dee Hospital and Primary Children's Medical Center. She underwent dialysis as part of her treatment and was eventually sent home, Paul said.

Paul and his family members say, because of her condition, Le'A couldn't have come into contact with alcohol by herself, and they are calling for charges to be filed against anyone who might be responsible.

"There's no possible way that she could feed herself, so it has to be an adult that has to provide that for her," said Crystal. "Put someone away for what they were doing to her."

Paul Silva believes someone deliberately poured alcohol in Le'A's feeding tube in order "to sedate her or kill her."

The Silvas are not accusing Le'A's mother of poisoning her, but they believe she could be to blame because she primarily took care of the girl with the help of a home care nurse.

Officials have not said the mother is suspected of poisoning Le'A, and no one has yet been charged, but the investigation could lead to criminal charges, according to Lt. Mark Lowther of the Weber County Sheriff's Office. Detectives are actively investigating the case and testing is being conducted on Le'A's ingestion rates and alcohol levels, he said.

"Never forgive somebody for that, but they need to pay," said Le'A's uncle Brian Vega. "How can you even fathom doing this to a little girl?"

Le'A is doing well and is back at school at Utah School for the Deaf and Blind in Ogden, her father said.

"She pulled off another miracle. She proved everybody wrong," Paul said.

2News reached out to Le'A's mother by phone and at her home, but made no contact.


(Copyright 2013 Sinclair Broadcasting Group)



Weather: Forecast For May 20, 2013

Weather update for the morning of May 20, 2013: Scattered showers & thunderstorms have continued through the early morning hours giving us a little lightning at times.  Temperatures have dipped to the high forties this morning.

Forecast for Today & Tonight:  Rain and possible thunderstorms will continue in waves today.  Temperatures won`t be all that cold.  We still expect a high in Salt Lake of 68-degrees.  Periods of sunshine by this afternoon.  This evening will drop to the high forties again.  We`ll have mostly clear skies in the overnight hours.

Utah Firefighters Honored After 70 Years
(KUTV) Utah firefighters and their families were remembered for their sacrifice 70 years ago on Sunday.

The special tribute honored three killed during the Victory Theater Fire in 1943. A second floor balcony collapsed, killing Theron Johnson, Harry Christensen, and Melvin Hatch.

One of the firefighters who gathered at the Memorial had a special tie the ceremony – his grandfather was injured fighting the Victory Theater fire, and his great uncle was one of the fallen brothers.

(Copyright 2013 Sinclair Broadcasting Group.)

West Jordan High Student Reaching New Heights
(KUTV) Just a small amount of kindness is making a big difference in one Utah student's life. Bryan Gilchrist suffers from dozens of strokes every day but  he never thought he'd have the chance to be part of a high school team.

The West Jordan High sophomore is a new member of the school's track and field team, but it's not so much about the thrill of competition, as it is about the confidence Bryan's gained from being part of a team.

"I decided to be a thrower," Bryan said. He also competes in other field events, including the long jump.

But just being on the team is important to him, maybe because it's the first team he's ever been apart of.

Still, his days are unpredictable, he suffers from a rare disease which produces severe seizures.

"When I was at Walmart I hit my head against the floor.I used to deal with 27 seizures a day again." Bryan explained.

That's one of the reasons why his family was a little surprised when he said  he wanted to go out for track and field.

"We were kind of hesitant and nervous about him doing so," said Bryan's father Brad Gilchrist.

But his teammates have made Bryan feel like one of their own and that's made a huge difference "He's great, he tries his hardest, he does all the coaches ask him to do." says teammate Colton Jones.

Bryan's mother Geri Gilchrist says she's seen her son grow by leaps and bounds. "Every single one of these team members have really demonstrated what sportsmanship is all about," she says.

"They're the heroes to this story. They're the ones who really showed Bryan how to get to [his own] finish line--they're the ones that got him there."

Even though Bryan doesn't always succeed on the field the cheers
he hears from his teammates are inspiring to him and keep pushing him forward.

But his family says whether he clears a jump or not, he's already won. "Bryan's had the best year of his life," Geri said.

(Copyright 2013 Sinclair Broadcasting Group)



Keepin' It Fresh: May 20, 2013
(KUTV) It's time for Keepin' It Fresh.

That's when the 2News AM Crew play back through all the flubs and funny accidents through the last week of morning show news.

Just watch!

(Copyright 2013 Sinclair Broadcasting Group)
Utah Soldier Among Latest Casualties In Afghanistan
(KUTV) 21-year-old Cody Towse from Utah County is among the latest U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan.

Towse was reported missing after an improvised explosive device detonated close to where the Army Private First Class was standing.

The family was informed by the military of the situation this week. Late Saturday night 2News was able to confirm that Towse was indeed, killed in action and we spoke with his family and friends.

"He died for a noble reason, because he went there to save lives." said Jim Towse, Cody's father.  There were dozens of flags outside the Towse home courtesy of the local Boy Scouts.

Brad Drayton was Cody's one-time scout leader and friend of the family. Drayton said Cody was always looking for ways to serve the community.

"As a scout leader, it was fun to have him in the troop, he always made people laugh and always made scout camp an exciting time."

"He felt a tremendous sense of duty to serve, he served in our community as an EMT since he was 19. He's always been looking for ways to serve and help out his fellow man," Drayton said.


(Copyright Sinclair Broadcasting Group)

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