Police in St. Petersburg, Florida, have arrested a popular teacher in a bizarre alleged crime. Danielle Harkins, 35, is accused of telling students that they have demons inside them and that the only way to be rid of them is to cut themselves and then burn the wounds. They proceeded to do so and she is now charged with child abuse.
Police allege that Harkins met six boys and one girl in a park near the St. Petersburg Pier where they built a fire and started to chant and dance around it. She then allegedly started the cutting and burning. In one case, she is accused of pouring perfume on a kid when the lighter went out in the wind and then lighting the perfume on fire. He suffered second degree burns. Harkins was a teacher at the Lealman Asian Neighborhood Family Center. She is recently divorced in June and has two children, a four-year-old daughter and a three-year-old son. (I am going to go out on the limb and predict that the ex-husband is likely to have no problem on custody in the future).
She is reportedly as having taken a recent interest in extreme religions and referred to this process as how to “get rid of an evil tick.”
If convicted without a plea agreement, sentencing could be particularly harsh given her position of authority.
Source: Daily Mail
Mike, you are too kind.
As for being “distinguished,” since I did that number on my ribs, I think “extinguished” might be a more appropriate term.
It is late here and I think I am done for the evening. I have a full day tomorrow. G’night all.
I’m with Gene, those kids IMO were brainwashed at home or church to be easy prey for the teacher.
The link to the Greenwald article posted by “Posted Anonymousely” took me to a malware/virus attempt- I wouldn’t open it if you haven’t already. My anti-virus protection alerted me of the attempt.
Gene, I will make Bobby a deal. I won’t practice cardiology if he will stop trying to practice psychiatry.
One lives to be of service.
sounds like dr bob is about to go full allcaps. hope the nurse brings is evening meds soon
Nutters, unite! In that thing called religion.
OS,
All I can say is every organ grinder likes a monkey, but especially one that dances on cue.
What Blouise said. I was kind of tired and sleepy, but Bobby has managed to get me awake. I am still recovering from a cracked rib, so I really should not be provoked to laugh so hard.
Bob is kind of touchy this evening isn’t he? Gene, how would you like to get him on cross examination? This is the kind of “expert” I live for. It is so easy to punch their buttons when they go too far out on a limb and discover you are sawing it off behind them.
This thread is hilarious! Doctor Bob is my new favorite nut-case.
Dr Bob, fcol, you’re not even a shrink doing the remote diag! My impression is that someone here is more than a bit arrogant. And I only need life experience to recognize it.
Bettykath, if you’ll check my words VERY, VERY carefully for comprehension, I never DIAGNOSED her with ANYTHING. You’re demonstrating your lack of reading skills if you think that.
Gene, I don’t think Sweden is within the jurisdiction of the FBI. We can wish Dr. Bob good hunting on that one.
Doctor_Bob,
Can you point to the post where you feel your family was threatened?
Bob, schizophrenia is a whole class of mental illnesses with specific symptoms which must be tested to make a differential diagnosis. There is a
rule-out/rule-in’ algorithm for making a clinical diagnosis. What would be your reaction if someone here read an article about a person and assessed them–on the internet–as a case of cor pulmonale?
This woman may very well be schizophrenic, and I am not saying she is not. I am saying that you cannot make that call over the intertoobz.
Don’t try to appear intellligent, Otteray. It’s much too late for that. And ONE LAST TIME, Otteray, since you seem to have such a SERIOUS problem with comprehension, I did not DIAGNOSE her with anything. I merely said that she gives the IMPRESSION of being schizophrenic. And, she DOES. I certainly hope when the day comes that her TRUE diagnosis is made and treated, she draws someone MUCH, MUCH smarter than YOU. As for someone who came in and said they suspected they had a case of cor pulmonale (and I’ve NEVER had anyone do that in 42 years in practice), I wouldn’t be so stupid as to simply dismiss them outright. If you LISTEN to your patients, they’ll usually TELL you what’s wrong with them. I would LISTEN – as you seem to have such a serious problem doing – and see WHY they thought they had cor pulmonale, and then I would get their history, examine them, run the appropriate tests, and THEN diagnose them. If they had long-term high blood pressure, were getting short of breath with poor exercise tolerance, I’d give cor pulmonale a look, along with several other possiblities, including a bad Mitral Valve or occluded coronary arteries, among several other possibilities. But, I wouldn’t simply dismiss them outright. Unless you’re a complete fool, you wouldn’t, either.
Hey Bron,
We know you’re Doctor Bob.
So I’m being a bit too circumscriptive. Checked it twice. Look it up for yourself.
bettykath, I have a few suspicions about some folks around here, but to make a long distance diagnosis of someone you have never seen is the height of ethical irresponsibility.
I may refer to some as a “nutcase,” which is a highly technical term of art, but I cannot seem to locate it in the DSM-IV-TR.
OS,
You’ll find nutcase under AXIS XI. 🙂
I just love to come on here to read diagnoses about others who are here.
Keep her away from the rattlesnakes. They will bite her.
DOC
You forgot one thing: “We know where you live and where your kids go to school.”
Losing your sharpness. Too much for you?