Dover, DE – Three daycare employees have been charged with forcing children under their care to fight one another, according to CBS Philly . Authorities say they’ve gotten their hands on a cell phone video which clearly shows the workers encouraging two toddlers to engage in a fistfight. All three employees were arrested by Dover police on Monday.
Hands of Our Future Daycare workers Tiana Harris, Estefania Myers, and Lisa Parker face a number of charges for the incident which took place back in March. In addition to assault, all three women have been accused of endangering the welfare of a child, reckless endangering, and conspiracy.
Authorities claim that you can hear a child yell “He’s pinching me!” in the aforementioned video. In response to the 3-year-old’s complaint, one of the suspects says, “No pinching, only punching.”
“It’s shocking, disturbing and infuriating to watch this video that shows the two children wailing on each other,” Dover Police Captain Tim Stump explained to Delaware Online . “These are our most precious cargo and to have adults responsible for caring for their well-being to have them behave as such is sickening.”
Since the video is considered evidence, the police have not made the clip available to parents or the public. Regardless, Cristyl Slack, whose daughter was in the room during the fight, is understandably shocked and sickened by the events that transpired at the Delaware daycare. “That pissed me off just because I feel if my daughter is around anything I should have known that day,” she explained.
“It’s very disturbing to think anything like that could go on,” mom Amy Bickerling explained to Delaware Online . “I know these teachers. I go on all the field trips. I’ve never seen anything irregular.”
Although police have met with parents about the situation, it’s unclear whether or not any of the children received injuries from the fight.
Hands of Our Future Daycare has yet to comment on the arrest of its employees.
