A Prichard daycare worker is facing a child abuse charge after an investigation by the Mobile County Sheriff's Office.
Kia Baldwin was an employee of the Bear Fork Road Lighthouse Academy location. That's where investigators said she was caught on surveillance camera "violently throwing" an eight-month-old infant boy into a crib, then walking around the crib and positioning herself in a way that obstructed the camera's view.
The family of the baby filed a complaint with the Prichard Police Department and the Department of Human Resources after noticing injuries on the child. The complaint was filed on February 19, a day after the incident occurred.
The sheriff's office took over the case after the family contacted them on March 11. They found that Baldwin was caring for five infants at the daycare. The day after the incident, Baldwin told the director of Lighthouse Academy that the infant was injured after she performed a "finger sweep" to remove a rock he had in his mouth.
"She further reported that she did not choke the infant but acknowledged causing bruising around his neck while trying to retrieve the rock," the sheriff's office stated.
Along with the bruising of the neck, the infant had bruising on his upper left shoulder and a small mark on the left side of his jawline, consistent with a fingernail injury.
There are two Lighthouse Academy locations in Prichard. The Bear Fork Road location did not respond to a media inquiry.
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