Women charged after suspected child abuse at Marietta day care: police

Two women were charged after a four-month investigation at a Marietta day care revealed a child had been physically abused, police said.

According to the Susquehanna Regional Police, the investigation, which began in early March, showed that Erin E. Finegan, a staff member at Kinderhook Early Learning Center, physically assaulted a child while working.

A criminal complaint said she held a child on the ground with her body weight and restricted his movement Nov. 23, 2019.

She was also seen holding the child up by his neck while he kicked and screamed, the complaint said. Witnesses observed Finegan throw the child into a cabinet.

Authorities conducted interviews with the child, as well as numerous staff members from Kinderhook.

Staff members told police they had reported the incident to Michelle K. Patterson, 43, of Lititz, who is a mandated reporter for child abuse.

Patterson told staff she reported the abuse to the authorities, though the investigation showed that she did not contact the mandated statewide child protective services program, the criminal complaint said.

Finegan, 41, of Lancaster, was charged with a misdemeanor count of simple assault on a child, court documents show. Patterson was charged with failure to report suspected child abuse.

Both have preliminary hearings scheduled for Aug. 20 in front of District Judge Scott Albert.

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Crédito: LANCASTERONLINE | Staff