CAUGHT ON CAM: What Grovetown day-care worker did to child

GROVETOWN, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A Grovetown day-care employee is facing a simple battery charge after an incident at Next Generation Learning Center.

Police Chief Jamey Kitchens says, “I want to be clear that this is not a ‘kick’ as one may be imagining. In other words, it was not a ‘punt’ or soccer kick, not that this makes the incident any better.”

However, the toddler’s mother reached out to News 12 and says the video is “clear as day.”

She shared the short video exclusively with News 12 and wants others to see what happened.

“My child was standing alone by himself eating his candy. One teacher came up and snatched his candy, and the other teacher came up and kicked him, and they both walked off,” she said.

Police responded to 325 Old Wrightsboro Road on Tuesday for an incident involving an employee and a child.

Officers say a parent arrived to pick up their child and found them to be “visibly upset and inconsolable,” according to police.

The parent then ed the police and requested to view the video. Once on scene, the business manager allowed officers to view the video.

Officials say Lataya Regine-Monae Davis, 26, of Grovetown, approached a 1-year-old on the playground and “pushed the child in his torso with her foot, at which time he fell and landed in a seated position.”

The child was standing on the playground with several other children and did not appear to have suffered any injuries, according to the police department.

Davis was arrested and charged with one count of simple battery and transported to the Columbia County Detention Center, where she was released on a $1,100 bond, officials say.

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