Video captures day care staff ‘violently’ slamming kids at nap time, Indiana cops say
A day care teacher is accused of battering four children between the ages of 1 and 2 during nap time, Indiana police said.
Brittany Collins, 34, of Indianapolis, was arrested March 15 following an investigation prompted by a parent who reported their child’s injuries, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Investigators spoke with the manager of Victory Academy Preschool about the Feb. 9 incident who told them she saw Collins “roughly handle the children” on a live video monitor, court documents show.
The manager told authorities Collins came to work appearing irritated and upset that day, and declined the manager’s offer to take the day off.
The video footage showed Collins walking around the room during nap time and “violently” grabbing kids by the arm and flipping them from their backs to their stomachs, records show.
Investigators said a 2-year-old’s head appeared “to bounce off the cot as he is slammed down.”
The mother of that child told investigators he was bleeding from his face on a separate occasion when she picked him up from day care earlier in the year, but staff claimed not to know what happened, the affidavit said.
The video also showed what looked to be Collins hitting another 2-year-old with a shoe, police said.
Parents told investigators they noticed bruising and changes in their children’s behavior after attending the day care, records show.
“(The child) always says sorry and gets tense,” one mother told investigators.
The preschool manager told authorities Collins had no previous complaints, according to the affidavit. “The parents liked Brittany,” she said.
McClatchy News reached out to Collins’ attorney and Victory Academy Preschool on March 22 for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
Collins is charged with four counts of battery on a person less than 14 years old. She was released from jail March 18 on a $500 cash bond, court records show.
This story was originally published March 22, 2024 at 1:46 PM with the headline "Video captures day care staff ‘violently’ slamming kids at nap time, Indiana cops say."
