A Kentucky daycare riddled with child abuse allegations and accusations of a correlated cover-up has resulted in several arrests.
According to Lex18, Theodrick Hersey, 55, and Jessica Houk, 43, the owners of A Step Ahead Daycare and The Kid’s Club Childcare Center in Richmond, along with Houk’s sister and daycare employee Brooklyn Houk, 22, were released on $1,500 bond each on Friday morning following their arrest on child abuse charges.
An investigation into the childcare facility was initiated in March after Elizabeth Thomas, a fellow employee, was taken into custody and accused of child abuse. The allegations against Thomas involve the withholding of specific foods from a child with dietary requirements related to a health condition, as reported by WKYT.
Earlier in March 2023, Thomas had received disciplinary action for physically striking a child. However, the daycare failed to report this incident, as mandated. It is suspected that the daycare’s failure to address Thomas’s prior misbehavior contributed to the subsequent abuse of five additional children.
The police citation stated that the recently accused “knew of the conduct of the employee” but “allowed her to remain employed, thereby intentionally causing five additional children to be abused by that worker.” The citation further indicated that the workers “knew of child abuse and neglect in their daycare centers,” Lex18 reported.
WKYT stated that evidence was found showing one child was strangled, an employee punched another child, and a parent expressed concerns about possible sexual abuse, none of which was reported by the facility.
There was also evidence that the facility not only failed to report an incident involving a child leaving the building unsupervised and nearly accessing a major roadway, but it also advised employees to lie to investigators.
The citation noted that there were “text messages” in which they “can be seen telling employees to lie to state investigators about a child getting out of their daycare center undetected and almost accessing a major roadway.”
Lex18 found that Hersey is also an employee at Fayette County Public Schools. He has been placed on administrative leave due to the investigation, according to FCPS.
WKYT reported that Thomas also worked in the transportation department at Madison County Schools and is currently on suspension.
Hersey and the Houk sisters have been charged with child abuse, failure to report abuse, and knowingly obstructing an investigation.
Thomas faces three counts of first-degree criminal abuse of a child aged 12 or under and one count of fourth-degree assault (child abuse).
[Feature Photo:Theodrick Hersey, Jessica Houk, and Brooklyn Houk/Police Handout]
