Five daycare workers are facing criminal charges after cell phone video shows them harassing terrified children while wearing a ghoulish Halloween mask.
Four people have been hit with three counts of felony child abuse each while a fifth person has been charged with two 2 misdemeanors after a video showed them donning scary masks and intentionally terrifying several toddlers who’d been left in their care at Lil' Blessings Child Care and Learning Center in Hamilton, Mississippi.
In the video, several children can be heard screaming in fear, while others appear paralyzed. Some children tried to run away, only to be relentlessly chased in to corners and behind furniture by the employee.
At one point, a masked worker tells a horrified little boy, "Are you being bad? Do I need to take you outside?" while the sobbing child tries to hide in his own arms.
Some parents said their children were left traumatized by the incident, with one mother saying her son has had trouble sleeping ever since. The Monroe County Sheriff's Office and the local District Attorney said they met with parents of the affected kids to ask how the families wanted to proceed, ending with several parents opting to file charges against the daycare employees.
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"On Monday October 17, 2022 the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, the County Prosecuting Attorney, and the District Attorney met with the parents of the children involved in the incident at Lil' Blessings Child Care and Learning Center and informed them of the possible criminal charges the law would allow them to pursue," said Monroe County Sheriff Kevin Crook in a statement, adding that "Parents were also given an opportunity to share information they had gathered with MCSO Investigators."
Four employees have reportedly already been fired by the daycare, according to the center’s owner, who said she wasn’t aware of the incident until the investigation.
The moral of the story? Job or not, busy or not, at the end of the day they’re your kids – be careful who you leave them with.