Kansas City daycare worker accused of slamming, dropping infant on several occasions
A downtown Kansas City daycare employee is accused of abusing a 10-month-old infant by slamming him down and dropping him on his head, leaving several bruises and scratches on his body.
Cheryl Tate, 65, is charged with nine counts of felony child abuse in Jackson County Circuit Court, Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced Wednesday. Court documents allege she caused the injuries to the baby over a two-week period beginning in late October at her job with Spectrum Center Daycare at 911 Main St.
According to court records, the abuse was first reported to Kansas City police on Nov. 4. Investigators were informed that the baby had suffered the injuries while in the care of Spectrum.
The child was taken to Children’s Mercy Hospital. Physicians there determined that the child had been abused. They found six patterned bruises across the upper back, three scratches on his right thing and a small bruise to the right side of the forehead.
Detectives reviewed video surveillance provided by the daycare. On the video, Tate was allegedly seen harming the baby on several occasions between Oct. 25 and Nov. 2.
The videos showed the child being lifted by his neck and head, pushed down by his head, slammed into his crib and dropped on his head. Tate is also seen slapping him across his face and on his bottom, a detective wrote in charging documents.
During an interview at Kansas City Police Headquarters, Tate allegedly told investigators she “let her frustrations get the better of her” because she has been dealing with personal and financial struggles as of late. She said she was aware that the daycare was under surveillance and had tried to give herself pep talks ahead of work to prevent her from doing “anything crazy” during the shift, she told police.
Michelle Mannell, director of the daycare, told The Star that the center had contacted law enforcement immediately after the infant was found to have been injured and is fully cooperating with authorities. She said Tate was immediately fired after the center’s surveillance footage was reviewed.
“We wanted to make sure that (the investigation) was pursued. We’re doing everything we can to make sure that it’s followed through,” Mannell said, adding that the wellbeing of children is the daycare’s “top priority and will continue to be.”
This story was originally published December 15, 2021 at 5:25 PM.
