MAIDEN, N.C. — A daycare worker in Catawba County is facing charges after being accused of assaulting a 4-year-old boy.
The worker is no longer employed at Childcare Network in Maiden.
Parents told Channel 9’s Dave Faherty that Childcare Network didn’t notify them about the alleged incident. They said that they found out from parents of other children that the child was “thrown or kicked” into a wall.
Court documents said it wasn’t reported until days later.
Faherty spoke with the child’s parents on Monday morning at the father’s home in Catawba County.
Gabrielle Dowdy was charged with assault of a child under the age of 12 and misdemeanor child abuse.
The child’s parents said she resigned on the day of the incident, but they didn’t learn of the allegations until two days later, and it wasn’t from the daycare.
The corporate office later called the parents to apologize, and police are still investigating.
“You put your trust in the daycare, the people who work in the daycare, so you can go out and provide and make a living,” said Alex Loftin, the child’s father. “The whole time you are out working and providing, you are thinking your child is safe.”
Channel 9 confirmed that the classrooms at the daycare have video cameras, but they don’t record video.
Faherty is going through the daycare’s inspection reports and will have the latest details starting at 5 p.m. on Eyewitness News.