Childcare worker arrested for assaulting 4-year-old boy in her care, SC cops say
A Midlands woman working at an after-school program assaulted a 4-year-old boy who was in her care, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said Wednesday in a news release.
Lauren Folk, 35, was arrested Monday on a charge of third-degree assault and battery, according to SLED.
The incident happened Feb. 10 at Reuben Elementary School in Newberry County, according to an arrest warrant. On Feb. 14, Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster requested SLED lead an investigation, according to the release.
Folk was employed by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and was at the school for an after-school program when she grabbed the child by his face and shoved him backward, the arrest warrant shows.
There was no word if the child was injured, and further other information on his condition was not available.
Folk was booked at the Newberry County Detention Center and released Monday after her bond was set at $500, jail records show.
The Newberry resident is scheduled to appear in court again on April 27, according to judicial records. Her case will be prosecuted by the 8th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
If convicted on the misdemeanor charge, Folk faces a maximum punishment of 30 days behind bars and a $500 fine, according to South Carolina law.
Folk’s job status with the Boys & Girls Clubs was not known following her arrest.
This is not the first time Folk has been arrested.
In 2016, Folk pleaded guilty to a charge of transporting alcohol in a motor vehicle with seal broken, Newberry County court records show.
Years earlier, she was found guilty of violating county ordinances in 2006 and again in 2008, although online records did not specify which ordinances. Folk was also convicted on a check fraud charge in 2005, according to court records.
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This story was originally published April 13, 2022 at 12:12 PM.
