A daycare worker at A World of Hope Daycare in Grovetown was arrested Thursday after surveillance footage revealed her dragging a 4-year-old child across the floor, resulting in an injury.
Grovetown Police Chief Jamey Kitchens confirmed that his agency was contacted by a parent on Wednesday, reporting that their child had been injured during an incident at the daycare on Monday. The parent was first informed by the daycare’s assistant director that the child had complained of arm pain.
According to Chief Kitchens, the assistant director reviewed the daycare’s surveillance footage and discovered disturbing footage showing 18-year-old daycare employee Jayla Roberts dragging the child across the floor by her wrist. The video further revealed Roberts picking the child up by both wrists, an action that reportedly caused the injury.
The parent was shown the footage, and Roberts was terminated from her position at the daycare. The child was taken to a local medical facility, where doctors diagnosed the injury as a Radial Head Subluxation, commonly known as Nursemaid’s Elbow, which occurs when the elbow joint is partially dislocated.
The video evidence provided to police by the parent corroborated the claims, leading to an investigation. On Thursday, Roberts was interviewed at the Grovetown Police Department. Following the interview, she was arrested and charged with cruelty to children in the first degree. Roberts was subsequently transported to the Columbia County Detention Center.
Chief Kitchens emphasized that the police department is continuing to investigate the incident. The daycare, located at 671 E. Robinson Avenue, is cooperating with law enforcement as the investigation continues.
