2 Blaine daycare teachers charged with abusing infants in their care
Generic police lights. (FOX 9)
BLAINE, Minn. (FOX 9) - Two teachers at Blaine daycare center have been charged after being caught on surveillance video being rough with multiple infants in their care.
What we know
Chloe Kaye Johnson, 24, and Elizabeth Augusta Wiemerslage, 22, have both been charged with felony malicious punishment of a child under four, third-degree assault against a victim under four and two counts of gross misdemeanor malicious punishment of a child.
Both Johnson and Wiemerslage were arrested on Thursday but were released on Friday after posting bail.
Johnson was the primary teacher in the infant's room, and Wiemerslage was the other teacher, the complaint states.
How police got involved
According to the charges, on July 16, Blaine police got a report of possible child abuse at Small World Daycare Center in Blaine. The report said that a 5-month-old infant had unexplained bruising across her body.
That infant's parents said they dropped her off at the daycare center on the morning of July 15 with no bruising or red marks, court documents said. When they picked the infant up from daycare that evening, the parents noticed bruising across the lower half of the infant's body.
The parents then contacted the daycare center and asked about the bruising. They were allegedly told by the daycare center that the bruising "might be from the chair or swing in the immobile infant room," the charges stated. According to court documents, officers were given photos of the infant in the said chairs, and the leg holes didn't look tight enough to cause any marks or bruising.
Court documents say Johnson allegedly said the bruising could have come from the infant chairs in the room. Wiemerslage also said any marks might have come from the swing or chair because the infant "slumps" in her chair.
Johnson initially said she didn't notice any bruising on the infant at drop off on July 15, but said she did see "redness" later that afternoon in the infant's pelvic area. Johnson then said she noticed the redness had turned to bruising the next day, court documents state. Wiemerslage said she didn't see any redness or bruising on July 15.
What police saw on surveillance video
According to the charges, both Johnson and Wiemerslage were seen on surveillance video in the infant's room at the daycare being rough with the multiple infants in their care.
Court documents say Johnson is seen on video handling the infant mentioned above roughly several times. Video shows Johnson sitting with the infant on a floor mat, and starts moving her around "aggressively."
Johnson then, over the next several minutes, grabs the infant in the lower half of her body and "violently flips" the infant back and forth from her stomach to her back. Johnson allegedly only let the infant stay on one side for a few seconds.
According to the charges, the video shows the infant's arms flailing, her body being rigid and her head not being supported. While there was no audio in the surveillance video, investigators could see that the infant was screaming with her mouth open while this was happening.
Teachers reportedly handled another infant ‘roughly’
The complaint states that Johnson is also seen in the video picking up a second infant "roughly" and allegedly "holding a cloth over the [second] infant's mouth for several seconds while the infant is crying."
Johnson is also seen gripping the second infant's neck firmly before "she violently pulls them up by the arm" and she "shoves" a bottle in and out of the second infant's mouth, repeatedly and too fast for the second infant to be able to drink from it, the charges said.
Later in the video, Wiemerslage picks up the second infant and "violently slams" them down on a support pillow, the complaint states. Wiemerslage is later allegedly seen picking up a third infant and "aggressively shoving them down onto a changing table."
According to the charges, Weimerslage is then seen on camera "violently" picking up the third infant by their arm while the infant is crying, and Wiemerslage then "aggressively" moves the infant around on the floor mat while Johnson allegedly watches.
Wiemerslage is then seen with the first infant, who is lying on the mat. The charges state that Wiemerslage then "aggressively drags" the first infant by her legs toward her. Wiemerslage then picks up the first infant and "slams" her into a support pillow, and presses down on the infant's torso area.
The infants in Johnson and Wiemerslage's care appeared to investigators to be immobile, not being able to walk or crawl, the charges said.
What the teachers said
Johnson reportedly told officers she was helping the infants roll over, but then admitted to being "too rough" and that her behavior could have caused the first infants bruising. Investigators said Wiemerslage also reportedly admitted to her behavior and said it was wrong, court documents state.
The first infant was examined and had bruising in nine different areas of her body. The second and third infants were also examined, and Blaine police said that the third infant had an old leg fracture that may have occurred about two weeks ago.
Police discuss abuse case
"Although we have been forced to investigate other terrible acts of child abuse, this one is exceptionally shocking. Most parents drop their children off at day care centers believing that their child will be safe, especially since there is usually more than one care provider watching their child at any one given time. In this case, we found two workers working together with infants, both aggressively abusing children," the Blaine Police Department said in a press release.
Police say that Small World Daycare Center is cooperating with the investigation. Other families at the center have been contacted, and were advised to have their children examined, and to reach to police if they notice unexplained injuries.