Day care worker ‘violently’ throws 8-month-old into crib, bruising his neck, AL cops say
A day care worker in Alabama is accused of “violently” throwing an 8-month-old into a crib, causing bruises on his neck, deputies said.
Kia Baldwin, who worked at Lighthouse Academy in Prichard, was charged March 13 with one count of child abuse, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Video footage showed Baldwin picking up the infant Feb. 18 and throwing him harshly into a crib before walking to the opposite side of the crib and obstructing the camera’s view, deputies said.
Baldwin filed a report about the incident Feb. 19, but in it she said the bruises were a result of a “finger sweep” after the infant tried to eat a rock, according to deputies.
She was immediately fired by the day care for the incident and for not reporting it sooner, deputies said. McClatchy News reached out to Lighthouse Academy on March 14 but did not receive an immediate response.
The family of the 8-month-old filed a complaint with Prichard Police and the Department of Human Resources on Feb. 19 before contacting the sheriff’s office March 11, deputies said.
“As a result of Baldwin’s actions, the infant sustained bruising on the left side and back of his neck, bruising on his upper left shoulder area, and a small mark on the left side of his jawline, consistent with a fingernail injury,” the sheriff’s office said.
Baldwin was arrested and taken to the Mobile County Metro Jail, deputies said.
Prichard is about a 5-mile drive northwest from Mobile.
