Former day care worker hit a 4-year-old at school in Richland County, police say

A Columbia woman was arrested for hitting a 4-year-old child at a day care facility in Richland County, according to the Irmo Police Department.

Tina Wilson, 31, who worked at the Big Blue Marble Academy in Irmo, was charged with unlawful conduct toward a child, police said Wednesday in a news release.

That branch of the Big Blue Marble schools is on North Royal Tower Drive, near the Friarsgate subdivision. There are multiple Big Blue Marble day care facilities in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

The incident happened in May, and Wilson was fired the day after the incident, according to the release.

She was seen on video getting frustrated and hitting the young child, police said.

Information on the child’s condition was not available.

The video was sent to the South Carolina Department of Social Services, which notified police, according to the release.

Wilson turned herself in and was taken to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, police said. Wilson is not currently listed as an inmate at the Richland County jail, online records show.

Unlawful conduct toward a child is a felony. If convicted, Wilson faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, according to South Carolina law.

Investigators are working with DSS to determine if this was an isolated incident.

Anyone with information about Wilson, or any other incidents at the day care in Irmo, is asked to call police at 803-781-8088, CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip.

This story was originally published June 15, 2022 at 10:33 AM.

Noah Feit

The State

803-771-8435

Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription