News briefs from California's Central Coast

The Associated Press

SANTA BARBARA – Child abuse defendant Sylvia Jovanna Vasquez, charged with a variety of counts involving her four adopted children, was arrested for allegedly contacting the youngsters in violation of court orders.

Vasquez, who had operated a day care center at her Foothill area home when she was arrested for the first time earlier this year, was ordered to jail Friday for allegedly sending letters to her adopted children ages 6 to 13.

Superior Court Judge Frank Ochoa said the woman violated the terms of her $1 million bail and made “an effort to subvert the court process.” She faces trial next month for child abuse, including locking two of them in cage-like quarters.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Joyce Dudley told the judge 11 letters from Vasquez were found in the room of one of her children. The letters allegedly instructed them what to do during court proceedings.

In March, she was jailed for allegedly smuggling a letter to her 13-year-old adopted son.

“She not only did this before, but the content of these letters is fraught with violations of the law,” Dudley said.

Two of the adopted children were locked up in small, cagelike quarters and a third was confined in a filthy room, the prosecutor said. Vasquez, 50, is also accused of injecting the 12-year-old with a puberty-blocking drug, Lupron.