New York judge still ponders release of records in Leekin case

New York judge still ponders release of records in Leekin case

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Prosecutors will have to wait until next week to see if a New York judge will release adoption records for 11 children who were under the care of Judith Leekin, who's charged with abusing and neglecting the children.

At a hearing Friday, a New York State Supreme Court judge in Manhattan said she needed to see more legal documentation supporting the request to open the records. Another hearing has been set for Thursday.

The State Attorney's Office in Fort Pierce claims the records are needed to help their case against Leekin and also could help find an adopted child, now an adult, who's missing.

In August, Circuit Judge James W. McCann ruled the adoption records are material to the case against Leekin, paving the way for prosecutors to ask the New York court to release them.

Leekin, 62, of Port St. Lucie, was arrested July 19 and is charged with several counts of elderly or disabled adult abuse, multiple counts of aggravated child abuse, possession of a fake driver license and tampering with a witness. Authorities say she adopted the children in New York City between July 1988 and April 1996 and collected about $2 million to care for them over the years.