3 arrested after toddler hit by broom at day-care
Phoenix police have arrested a south Phoenix day-care owner, director and an employee after a 21-month-old boy was struck twice by a broom handle, suffering a 4-inch cut on his face, according to police and court documents.
Lillie Adams, 37, was arrested on suspicion of child abuse after police said they saw video from day-care cameras showing Adams hitting the boy on Feb. 17.
Police also arrested the owner of the Brighter Angels Learning Center, Ruben Sandoval, 51, and its director, Perla Denise Sierra Duarte, 26, in connection with allegations of hindering prosecution and failure to report the crime, according to Sgt. Mercedes Fortune, a Phoenix police spokeswoman.
The child was taken to Phoenix Children’s Hospital by his mother, court documents said.
The boy’s mother returned to the day care after taking her son for treatment and asked to see video of the room at the time of the accident. She was told she could not see the video.
According to court documents, Duarte gave the mother a letter from the school stating that the child had “tripped over a toy and bumped his head on a table.”
Duarte also told Adams to sign a resignation later and “not to talk to anyone about this, including the police,” according to court documents.
Officers were called to the center on 7227 S. Central Ave. on the morning of the incident to investigate, police said. According to Adams, she was cleaning up cereal that a group of 1- to 2-year-olds had spilled.
Adams told officers the boy had crawled under a table where she was sweeping, and she asked him to move twice. When he wouldn’t move, Adams hit him, but told police “she did not believe she hit him that hard,” court documents said.
Adams was booked on suspicion of one count of reckless child abuse, a Class 3 felony. She was released on her own recognizance. Her next court appearance was scheduled for March 9.
Several day-care locations
Sandoval owns several centers around the Valley, according to Arizona Corporation Commission and Arizona Department of Health Services records. He owns two Brighter Angels Learning Center facilities in Phoenix, one in Scottsdale and one in Avondale. He may also own a center in Tempe, according to the Brighter Angels Learning Center website and state records.
According to Department of Health Services records, the Central Avenue center where the incident occurred was last inspected in January following a complaint and no deficiencies were found.
The state report did not include any information about what the initial complaint involved.
“Upon completion of the complaint investigation, it was determined from observation, interview, that the allegation lacked sufficient evidence to be substantiated,” the Jan. 3 report stated.
State documents show the location had 11 citations in September. They included staff members lacking documentation of having been tested and found negative for tuberculosis, no posted lesson plans, cribs in the infant room too close together, containers containing soiled diapers being accessible to children, the center van did not have seat belts and a too-large gap at the bottom of the fence surrounding the playground.
State inspectors visited the Scottsdale location in November following a complaint. The report indicated inspectors looked at the center’s incident reports and determined the allegation lacked sufficient evidence. Inspectors visited the center in September following a complaint and issued several citations, including that the infant classroom didn’t have enough staffing and that toddlers were in rooms with infants. During a routine inspection in May, the center received 15 citations, many involving a lack of required information on staff members such as fingerprint-clearance cards and educational history.
The Avondale center received five citations during a routine inspection in September.
The Laveen location on Southern Avenue was inspected in December following a complaint and cited for inadequate staff-to-child ratios. It was inspected in September following three complaints and cited for inadequate ratios. It was inspected in June following a complaint and cited for inadequate ratios. It was inspected twice in May and once in February following complaints but inspectors determined they lacked sufficient evidence to be substantiated.