A daycare worker in North Carolina has been charged after she allegedly fractured the legs of a 6-month-old baby.
Kimberly Sugg Boykin, 51, of Middlesex in Nash County, allegedly badly injured the infant at the Widewaters Learning Center in Knightdale, where she worked. She was charged with felony negligent child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury, reported The News & Observer.
An arrest warrant filed on Aug. 26 said that she had allegedly twisted the left femur of the child on purpose and did not report the abuse, according to WNCN.
Knightdale Police arrested Boykin on Aug. 26 after she turned herself in, according to WTVD. The news station reported that she is no longer an employee at the daycare facility, located at 9565 Flatrock Park Drive.
According to reports, Knightdale Police issued the arrest warrant on Aug. 20 and she was taken into custody on Aug. 26 in the afternoon. She was released from Wake County Jail after posting $50,000 bail on early Aug. 27.
Boykin appeared in court Aug. 27 and her next scheduled court date is set for Sept. 17.
According to a press release from Knightdale Police, cited by The News & Observer, the child was found to have suffered a fractured femur after a medical evaluation.
Knightdale Police said in an arrest warrant cited by WTVD that the infant’s mother noticed the child showed unusual behavior after being picked up from daycare on April 23, and the injuries came to light after a medical evaluation. The Child Protective Services, the Safe Child Advocacy Center, and the Wake County District Attorney’s Office were involved in investigating the child’s case, the ABC affiliate reported.
According to WNCN, the daycare is rated five stars but has been cited for six violations in nine most recent reviews.
“Those responsible for the care of our young and elderly citizens hold a position of enormous trust,” Knightdale Police Chief Lawrence Capps said according to WNCN.
“We expect care providers to render services compassionately and in accordance with the highest standards. It now falls to the administration and the employees of the daycare center to work diligently to rebuild that trust,” Capps added.
The daycare said: ‘Widewaters Learning Center cares deeply about the safety of our children, and we are committed to maintaining the highest standards for our employees.
“We are actively investigating this situation involving a former employee, and we will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities.”
No Charges After Infant Choked to Death on Pine Cone at Day Care
The news recalls a recent tragedy that occurred at another daycare in North Carolina, where a 10-month-old infant boy choked to death on a pine cone in late May.
The infant boy, Areon Ellington, died at the A Hug a Day Daycare, a facility run out of a home in the city of Raleigh. He had found the pine cone in the yard outside the facility, located at 2705 Adcox Place.
A family member reportedly told WTVD on Facebook, “This baby had a piece of pine cone in his mouth and it blocked his air passage.”
By the time officers arrived, it was too late, the outlet reported. The boy died at the daycare center.
The daycare had its license suspended by the state Department of Health and Human Services in the days after the boy’s death. It is now listed as “Permanently Closed” on Google Maps.
The Wake County District Attorney’s Office confirmed there will be no criminal charges against employees at the daycare, and said that the child’s death was a tragic accident, according to WNCN.
