NBC News
A 58-year-old childcare worker has been arrested for child abuse after shocking footage captured her hitting a four-year-old girl because she touched her own hair.
Lynn Rowe, 58, is the Lynn’s Learning Center in Omaha, Nebraska, and was taped by a co-worker repeatedly hitting the child.
‘Quit messing with your hair,’ Rowe can be heard saying, before punching the girl’s arm.
When the crying four-year-old said, ‘that hurt me,’ Rowe responded, ‘Good, I hope it hurt you.’
Police revealed that another childcare worker sent the disturbing footage, taken on March 28, to the little girl’s parents on April 2.
Her parents, Kelley and Al Meyers, then immediately confronted Rowe and went to the police, who issued a warrant for her arrest.
Al Meyers told NBC News about his heartbreak at finding out what had happened to his daughter, who had been attending the daycare centre since she was around three months old. Her older brother had also been cared for there, and the family knew Rowe very well.
‘It’s hard to put the emotions into words and really convey. Obviously there’s a lot of anger,’ he said.
‘When we presented her with the video, then the real emotions came up. She couldn’t watch even three seconds of it and asked us to turn it off. She started to cry and ask us for forgiveness.’
Omaha detectives have now opened an investigation to find out if any other children have been subjected to similar forms of abuse or neglect at the day care centre.
Kelley Meyers said she hoped sharing their story would be a warning to other parents.
‘We feel betrayed by her,’ she said. ‘Even if you’re 100 per cent confident in who’s watching your children, just make sure’
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