Daycare worker doesn’t remember abusing toddlers, but video shows otherwise, SC cops say

A former South Carolina day care employee faces five felony counts of child abuse for alleged mistreatment of five children at the day care, which was caught on video, according to police.

The alleged abuse happened at True Foundations Learning Center in North Augusta, according to an incident report from the North Augusta Department of Public Safety.

Management at the day care facility was notified of an incident involving Wendi Nelson, then an employee of the day care, and a 3-year-old girl, according to the report. Surveillance video shows Nelson grab the girl by the upper body, “lifting her out of her seat, carrying her to another table and throwing her to a seat and yelling in her face,” the report states.

A supervisor at the facility told police Nelson has been fired, police said. The facility also completed an internal report and forwarded it to the Department of Social Services.

The day care’s director showed investigators video of several incidents involving Nelson and different children, the report states. An investigator determined after viewing the video that there was enough evidence for a warrant for unlawful conduct toward a child.

All five children are 3 years old, according to the report.

While being interviewed by police, Nelson said “she did not remember any of the incidents” that investigators were referring to, according to the report.

Nelson, 57, of Hephzibah, Ga., was charged with five counts of unlawful conduct toward a child, North Augusta Public Safety said in a release announcing her arrest. No further charges are pending, but police say the investigation is still open.

She faces up to 10 years in prison on each charge, if convicted.

In a lengthy post on the True Foundations Learning Center’s Facebook page on March 4 — the day the alleged abuse was first reported to police — the owner doesn’t address Nelson’s case directly but urges parents to make sure they are leaving their children at a facility that has cameras.

“As an owner/director, I refuse to keep someone in a classroom that has proven they are unsuitable to care for young people,” the post reads, in part. “As Directors we try to give someone the benefit of the doubt that maybe the “teacher” is having a bad day and try to disregard their unacceptable behavior but after being given warnings about harsh verbal communication and/or harsh handling of children, they continue, then a HUGE RED FLAG SHOULD BE UP!”