CINCINNATI — After surveillance video captured a Cincinnati day care worker grabbing a 1-year-old by the hair and forcing the child's head into the ground, the child's mother said her little girl is back at the day care.
“She’s just recovering," said the mother, who asked WCPO to not use her name at this time. "This is a really traumatic thing that happened to her."
Police arrested Kristian Hemmitt March 12 after investigators said she pulled the child up by the hair, preventing her feet from touching the ground at Small Kids Adventure Learning Center II. Video showed Hemmitt walking 10 feet while performing a "push-pull" motion with the child's hair clenched in her closed fists.
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“It’s my worst nightmare, truly,” the mother said. “I was giving her a bath that night, and a lot of hair began to fall out. So, both my husband and I inspected her, and that's when we brushed her hair back and saw a giant bald patch. And, immediately, we called the day care."
The mother said the owners of the center searched surveillance video all night until they found the footage and called police.
“I know (the) day care does everything they possibly can to care for our kids,” said the mother. “They’re amazing, in my opinion.”
The attorney of the owner of the day care, Carl Lewis, told WCPO Monday Hemmitt passed background checks and training. He said the owners are cooperating with the police in any way they can.
Hemmitt faces five charges — two counts of tampering with evidence, two counts of child endangerment and one count of felony assault.
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