Video appears to show metro day care worker slam, punch toddler, police say

CLARKSTON, Ga. — Police are investigating accusations of child abuse at a DeKalb County day care for the second time in two days.

A mother said her child was thrown around by multiple workers at Clarkston First Baptist Academy.

The report comes a day after Channel 2 Action News reported a day care abuse investigation at Appletree Learning Center and Academy.

The two day cares are just one mile from each other off Ponce De Leon Ave. At the moment, there’s no indication the two cases are related, though they are both still under investigation.

Channel 2′s Audrey Washington talked to the child’s mother, who gave Channel 2 Action News video of the incident.

Krystin Collier said her 3-year-old son came home with a swollen jaw and visibly upset on July 6. After seeing her son’s injuries, Collier confronted the teachers and requested the video from the day care. She also pulled her son from the day care and called police.

When she was able to see the video on Wednesday, she said what she saw turned her stomach.

“I’m very disgusted, very disappointed, because this is a church day care,” Collier said. “I trusted these people with my child.”

In the portion of the video Collier shared with Channel 2 Action News, a teacher appears to pick the child up by the arms and then by his shirt and throw him down.

“One of the teachers picks up my son from one side of her body and slams him to the other side of her body, I guess to get him to settle down,” Collier said.

Police confirmed to Channel 2 Action News on Thursday that they are investigating the abuse claims, though no one has been arrested.

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Collier’s lawyer, Jackie Patterson, said she expects charges will be filed in the case.

“From what I saw on this tape, there is no question that the church is liable for the injuries, the emotional abuse,” Patterson said.

Patterson said there is a second video that involves another worker and Collier’s son.

Washington went to the day care to try to ask some questions about the alleged incident, but the person who answered the door refused to comment and slammed the door in her face.

This is the second day care under investigation in the county within the past two days. DeKalb County police said they are investigating a suspected child abuse case at the Appletree Learning Center & Academy at 4700 E. Ponce de Leon Ave. in Stone Mountain.

There have been no arrests in that case.

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Police investigating suspected child abuse case at DeKalb day care DeKalb County police said the incident, which they did not provide details for, happened at the Appletree Learning Center & Academy at 4700 E. Ponce de Leon Ave

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