Fountain honors abused child

RED BAY - A sense of peacefulness surrounds the area where a white candle rests on a shelf above a soft flow of water from the fountain in front of the Red Bay Police Department.

A sign above it reads, "In memory of Chanclar Waldrop, a victim of child abuse. May he live on in our hearts as a reminder of the true blessings of a child."

The last moments of Chanclar's life are not pleasant to recall for area law enforcement authorities.

They remember a sweet, tiny 19-day-old boy whose life ended abruptly when he was shaken to death by his father.

"We wanted something that would be a fitting image for a ... child who died," Franklin County District Attorney Joey Rushing said Thursday. "When I pass this fountain, I'll think of a child whose memory goes on."

Chanclar died Sept. 25, 2005, from injuries he sustained after his father, Jodey Wayne Waldrop, shook him.

Waldrop was found guilty of capital murder and was sentenced to death.

The baby's death and how he died has affected many, including those who didn't even know Chanclar but who worked on the case.

"Ever since the trial, it has just broken my heart to think that this child would be forgotten," said Suzanne Swaim, of Safeplace's Franklin County Victim Services.

Officials with the county's Domestic Violence Response Coalition didn't want that to happen. That's why they raised money from area businesses and built the fountain as a tribute to Chanclar. It also is a message that the community has no patience for child abusers. The fountain was dedicated Thursday afternoon.

"This is a fitting tribute to a child who didn't have a chance," Rushing said. "It's also a statement that child abuse will not be tolerated."

"It's very beautiful," Kim Gaisser said after the emotional ceremony. "It's touching." Gaisser has adopted one of Chanclar's siblings, a 4-year-old boy.

She knew the family and had agreed to watch some of the children while the parents took the older ones to the fair the night Chanclar was fatally injured. Chanclar and a sibling never made it to her home.

"The next thing I heard, he was in the hospital," Gaisser said.

Police Chief Pat Creel said Thursday's ceremony was bittersweet.

"This is certainly hard to do, but also reminds us of the need for our involvement, community involvement and Safeplace's involvement," Creel said. "When something like this happens, the entire community is affected. It was a difficult case to work, simply because he was so young."

"This case touched everybody in Franklin County," said David Hester, co-chairman of the coalition.

He said more than 2,450 children suffer abuse or neglect every day in the United States, and more than 2,000 die as a result each year.

"It's the kind of case you never get used to, but when you make an arrest, you do get a feeling of satisfaction out of knowing a child will never be abused again by that person," Hester said.

He said one of the most heart-wrenching parts about a trial involving child abuse is that the child will tell his parents he loves them when he sees them during the trial, despite all they have done to the child.

"We all in the community share the responsibility to stop abuse and neglect," Hester said.

Rushing hopes residents are reminded of that when they pass the fountain.

"Chanclar will never get to experience life because one time a father didn't take the time to walk out of the room and cool off," he said. "If he had, we wouldn't be here today dedicating this."

Bernie Delinski can be reached at 740-5739 or bernie.delinski@TimesDaily.com.