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UPDATE: Mom of child allegedly abused by Henderson day care worker hopes she is punished for actions

Posted at 6:21 PM, Aug 11, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-22 14:28:42-04

UPDATE AUG. 21: Henderson police arrested 20-year-old Aleana Estepp Monday on a charge of felony child abuse regarding this incident. 

The mother of the victim filed a report with Henderson police on Aug. 11 and provided video surveillance showing the incident that led to the arrest.

"My ultimate goal of making sure she is punished for her actions and she never works around people with needs again," said Nina Pitts, the mother of the 5-year-old girl hurt in the incident.

According to her arrest report, Estepp told police the girl was misbehaving and tried to remove her from the situation. Estepp told police she "removed her" again but this time, she lost grip on the girl, which caused her to slide across the carpet.

Pitts said all she was initially told was her daughter had bit her tongue and didn't learn the whole story until that night.

"If my daughter hadn't spoke up, this could be happening every day for all we know," she said.

Pitts has pulled her kids from the day care is hopefully Estepp will spend some time behind bars.

Estepp is currently being held at the Henderson Detention Center.

The owner of the Kids Academy day care gave 13 Action News a written statement, apologizing to the family and saying she will help with the investigation as much as possible.

ORIGINAL STORY

A day care worker at Kids Academy has been fired after an incident involving a child that was caught on camera.

Management at Kids Academy on Horizon Drive, near Pacific Avenue, say they fired the woman as soon as she walked in the door Friday following the incident.

According to the day care, they brought the initial incident to the attention of the child's mother.

It happened Thursday morning. Video shows the worker aggressively moving the child. She starts to walk away but then, immediately turns back around, this time appearing to throw the child a short distance.

Henderson police received a call from the mother Friday morning regarding the incident at Kids Academy. Police are continuing to investigate.

13 Action News spoke with the mother of the child seen being thrown in the surveillance video.

The woman did not want her identity revealed; however, she wanted to share her story to warn others.

"There really isn't any other emotion, other than just being beyond irate, and beyond upset," she said.

The mom told 13 Action News this all happened after her 5-year-old was bickering with another child.

She believed that is what set off the day care worker.

She says management nonchalantly stated her child had bit her tongue. Later that night, the mom says her daughter told her it happened when her teacher had grabbed her.

The mother said she wants the worker to be permanently banned from caring for the vulnerable.

"Anybody whose older, anybody whose disabled," she said. "I don't want her to ever be in this line of work again."