Champlin daycare provider facing assault charge after infant ends up in a coma

CHAMPLIN, Minn. (FOX 9) - A daycare provider out of Champlin is facing a felony charge for allegedly assaulting a child in her care. 

Hennepin County prosecutors charged 58-year-old Michelle Holte on Thursday with one count of felony first-degree assault in connection to the injury of a 6-month-old child. 

According to court records, the infant's parents picked him up from daycare on Oct. 18 and noticed his eyes were "turned to the left" and remained closed during the ride home. The father noticed he wouldn’t "turn his head straight, and his eyes were bouncing while still veering left." The infant's limbs were also abnormal, so his parents brought him to the hospital. 

Medical personnel determined the infant suffered a hematoma and placed him in a medically induced coma. Court records indicate his injuries are "highly suggestive of abusive head trauma" and "severe child physical abuse." He remains in critical condition as of Oct. 26. 

The boy's mother called the daycare provider, Holte, who claimed that a child at the daycare dropped the infant, charges allege. 

According to court documents, Holte repeated her claims to investigators. However, when investigators consulted with the infant's doctor, they stated that his injuries "could not be explained by [Holte’s] story."

The child accused of dropping the infant told investigators that Holte was "rough" with the boy, and demonstrated how she allegedly dropped the 6-month-old by using anatomical dolls. 

Investigators then met with Holte again. According to court documents, Holte allegedly admitted to tossing the infant and "putting him down a little harder than normal." Holte then picked up the infant and noticed that he was "not focusing, and his eyes were slanted," court records read. 

Holte told investigators she felt "overwhelmed and frustrated" and that she has been doing childcare for so long that she got to "a breaking point, in a bad way. In a wrong way," charges read. 

Holte remains in custody at Hennepin County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court Friday afternoon.