From left to right, we see Chloe Kaye Johnson and Elizabeth Augusta Wiemerslage from Anoka County in the provided image. The inset shows the Small World Learning Center as located on Google Maps.
According to records reviewed by Law&Crime, Elizabeth Augusta Wiemerslage, 22, and Chloe Kaye Johnson, 24, were arrested on Thursday. Both women are facing charges of malicious punishment of a child, with three counts each, as well as one count each of third-degree assault of a victim under the age of 4.
According to KSTP reported, the Blaine Police Department recently initiated an investigation into the Small World Learning Center located in the 1300 block of Paul Parkway Northeast. The investigation began on July 16, after officials from the Minneapolis Children’s Hospital reached out to the center concerning a 5-month-old baby with concerning bruising on her thighs.
Blaine Police Department detectives conducted an interview with the parents of the victim who reported that they noticed fresh bruising on their child when they picked them up from the daycare center. The concerned parents immediately contacted the daycare establishment to inquire about the situation.
Additional Coverage:
According to a report by Minneapolis Fox affiliate KMSP, a staff member at the daycare informed the parents that their child’s bruises could have been caused by the chair or swing in the immobile infant room. During separate interviews with the police, Johnson and Wiemerslage reportedly gave similar explanations, attributing the injuries to the daycare’s chairs and swings.
According to the Star Tribune, the claims made by both defendants were proven false by surveillance footage from inside the facility.
According to reports from the police, even though the video lacked audio, it was evident that the infant was screaming with her mouth open while Wiemerslage was allegedly watching.
According to KMSP, Johnson was reportedly seen roughly picking up an infant in one incident, and in another, holding a cloth over a crying infant’s mouth for several seconds.
According to police, all of the child victims seemed incapable of walking or crawling independently.
Blaine Police Captain Mark Boerboom described the accusations against the two women as “extremely shocking” in a statement to the Tribune.
According to the captain’s statement, parents trust day care centers to provide a safe environment for their children, with multiple caregivers to watch over them. However, in a recent incident, two workers were caught aggressively abusing infants. This is a disturbing and unacceptable behavior that needs to be addressed.
Both Wiemerslage and Johnson were able to secure their release on bond just one day after they were arrested.
The idea of the alleged abusers being released did not sit well with the parent of the 5-month-old child.
Cody Pech took to Facebook to share the distressing news that his 5-month-old son was one of the infants who fell victim to the abuse perpetrated by two daycare teachers at Small World Learning Center in Blaine, MN. In his post, Pech revealed that his son had been subjected to scratches, bruises all over his body, and a fractured leg as a result of the abuse. The perpetrators were arrested on Thursday but have already been released on bail. Pech urged people to share his post to spread awareness of the heinous actions of these individuals.
Read More:
- Researchers call on the public for help as tick-borne diseases rapidly spread across Ohio
- Ohio moves towards making daylight saving time permanent