Teacher of the Week: Madison Parker

WRAL's Ken Smith recognizes a teacher now using her Teach for America experience to nurture and engage her students at Alston Ridge Elementary School in Wake County.
Posted 4/8/2026, 5:04:22 PM Updated 4/8/2026, 6:00:11 PM

IN A SCATHING STATEMENT THEY

APPEARED TO HAVE MADE AN

UNTRUTHFUL STATEMENTS ADDING

THEY COULD FACE POTENTIAL

CRIMINAL PROSECUTION. MAGGIE

VEST BY NBC NEWS. THE PARENTS

OF A TODDLER WHO WAS INJURED

BY A WOLF AT A PENNSYLVANIA ZOO

ARE NOW FACING CRIMINAL CHILD

ENDANGERMENT CHARGES.

>> POLICE SAY THEY BRIEFLY

WALKED AWAY FROM THEIR ONE AND

A HALF YEAR OLD SON AND THEY

WERE ALLEGEDLY DISTRACTED BY

THEIR PHONES. THE TODDLER THEN

WANDERED INTO THE WOLF EXHIBIT

AT ZOOAMERICA IN HERSHEY PARK

IN OFFICIALS SAY THANKFULLY

THAT BOY IS OK, HIS INJURIES

ARE MINOR. NBC NEWS REPORTER

MARCUS FRANCIS AND NBC NEWS

LEGAL ANALYST MISTY MARRIS JOIN

ME NOW. SO MARQUEES FIRST,

LET'S JUST START WITH THE

DETAILS HERE. WHAT HAPPENED AT

THIS AND HOW HAVE THE PARENTS

RESPONDED NOW TO FACING THESE

CRIMINAL CHARGES THAT TRULY

SHOCKING SERIES OF ADVANCE

ACCORDING TO POLICE. THIS

HAPPENED JUST BEFORE NOON ON

SATURDAY AT ZOO AMERICA.

THIS UNSUPERVISED 17 MONTH OLD

TODDLER.

>> GOT AWAY FROM HIS PARENTS

AND CRAWLED UNDER A WOODEN

FENCE IN THIS WAS THIS KIND OF

UNDER SCHOOLS, UNAUTHORIZED

AREA. THEN IT PUT ITS HAND TO

WILSON CLOVER, A METAL FENCE.

AND THAT'S WHEN MIRACULOUSLY

BYSTANDER SAW THIS HAPPEN TO

RESCUE THE CHILD. ACCORDING TO

POLICE, THE MIND THAT CHILD

JUST HAS MINOR INJURIES, A

SURFACE LEVEL INJURIES AND

EXPECTED TO BE OKAY. BUT THE

BIG QUESTION IS WHERE WERE THE

PARENTS? AND ACCORDING TO

POLICE, THE DERRY TOWNSHIP

POLICE DEPARTMENT ACTUALLY

REVIEW FOOTAGE AND THAT'S WHEN

THEY SAW THE PARENTS WALKED

25 TO 30 FEET AWAY FROM THE

CHILD WHILE A BENCH NEARBY AND

THEY ALLEGEDLY WERE OCCUPIED

ON THEIR PHONES. AND THAT'S

WHEN, OF COURSE, THIS INCIDENT

OCCURRED AND POLICE HAVE ID

PULL FOR THOSE PARENTS. 43,

WHAT HARRIS ORDER AND 61

YEAR-OLD STEVEN J B WILSON AND

NOW NBC NEWS HAS REACHED OUT TO

BOTH OF THOSE PARENTS FOR

COMMENT AND WE HAVE NOT HEARD

BACK THUS FAR. WE DO KNOW LATER

THIS MONTH THERE WILL BE A

PRELIMINARY HEARING TO KIND

OF SORT ALL THIS OUT. ALSO,

THERE IS A VIDEO OF MISTY, THE

QUESTION IS, DOES THE DA HAVE

PRETTY STRONG EVIDENCE IN A

STRONG CASE THAT THIS WAS

ENDANGERMENT AND NOT JUST AN

ACCIDENT LIKE ANYBODY WITH KIDS

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