Blaine daycare teacher charged with abusing infants enters guilty plea
Blaine daycare infant abuse charges
Parents at the Small World learning center in Blaine are extremely upset after learning two teachers have been arrested for allegedly abusing infants, leading to multiple injuries.
BLAINE, Minn. (FOX 9) - A woman accused of abusing infants at a Blaine daycare, leading to multiple injuries, filed a petition plea guilty on Wednesday.
Guilty plea
What's new:
Elizabeth Augusta Wiemerslage, 23, and Chloe Kaye Johnson, 24, were arrested in July after surveillance video allegedly showed them being rough with multiple infants in their care.
Wiemerslage is facing aiding and abetting charges for three counts of felony malicious punishment of a child under four, two counts of third-degree assault against a victim under four and one count of third-degree assault of substantial bodily harm.
According to court records filed on Wednesday, Wiemerslage filed a petition to enter a guilty plea to one count each of aiding and abetting malicious punishment of a child under the age of four and third-degree assault, in exchange for the other charges being dropped.
Wiemerslage's sentencing has been scheduled for May 16.
Infant abuse allegations
Dig deeper:
According to the charges, both Johnson and Wiemerslage were seen on surveillance video at the Small World Daycare Center being rough with the multiple children in the infant's room.
READ MORE: Parents horrified after Blaine daycare employees arrested for abuse
The charging documents allege Wiemerslage was seen on video picking up an infant and aggressively shoving them down on a changing table, picking up an infant by their arm and aggressively moving them around the mat, dragging an infant by their legs and slamming the child into a support pillow while pressing down on their torso and abdomen, and roughly moving an infant’s head in another direction while trying to feed them.
Johnson also faces several felony and gross misdemeanor charges for her alleged role. Her next court date is scheduled for May 13.
Proposed new law
Child abuse recognition is the focus of the new bill
A child abuse case at a daycare in Blaine became the motivation for a proposed new law that aims to help parents recognize the signs that abuse could be occurring among infants.
Big picture view:
Minnesota Rep. Nolan West (R-Blaine) authored a series of child protection bills after his daughter was one of the multiple children injured at the Blaine daycare.
The bill aims to increase penalties for child abuse, require security cameras in childcare, improve parental education for recognizing and reporting abuse, and enhance background studies for workers.
Some of the bills will be heard in the House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee hearing on March 27.