ALEXANDER COUNTY, N.C. — A childcare worker has been arrested and fired after a 2-year-old’s parents alerted authorities to allegations of abuse at a church daycare.
Holly Payne has been charged with assault of a child under the age of 12. According to the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office, she worked at the Mt. Bethel Methodist Church Child Development Center in Bethlehem. The daycare serves around 30 kids.
Court documents say she willfully assaulted a young boy by grabbing his arm and “flipping him over aggressively onto a cot during nap time.” A parent went to the sheriff’s office after noticing a bruise on the 2-year-old’s arm.
The alleged incident may have been caught on camera. Jessica Roberts, the director of the daycare, said deputies seized video from the daycare which has cameras in each of the classrooms.
Several parents reached out to Channel 9 Thursday, saying the daycare never alerted them about the arrest or the investigation.
Roberts told Channel 9’s Dave Faherty she was surprised to hear of the allegations.
“Honestly shocked and hurt about it,” she said. “I apologize to the parents and to the child that was hurt. I do not stand for that at all. These kids are my No. 1 priority.”
Deputies say Payne has bonded out of jail. She is expected to make her first appearance in court on Nov. 23.
Tune in to Eyewitness News at 5:30 and check back with wsoctv.com to learn more about the changes the director plans on making at the daycare and what we learned from state records.