Lexington County day care worker who broke infant’s leg sentenced to prison
A Lexington County day care worker has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for breaking a 10-month-old infant’s leg, according to the 11th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
Shayna N. McKnight was sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Heath P. Taylor Thursday following a four-day trial in Lexington County. She was sentenced to 12 years on the charge of inflicting great bodily injury upon a child and five years on two counts of unlawful conduct towards a child. The sentences are to run concurrent, according to a statement released by the 11th Circuit Solicitor Rick Hubbard. She will not be eligible for parole.
On March 11, 2022, while working at the Windsor Academy Child Development Center, McKnight, 38, forcefully grabbed the infant by her left leg while lifting her from the floor.
A coworker who testified at the trial said McKnight told her, “I flipped her over by her leg and heard a pop.”
The infant suffered a fractured tibia. Investigators from the Lexington County Sheriff’s Office reviewed surveillance footage from the day care and found McKnight had “multiple acts of aggression towards the infant victim,” according to the statement.
Video footage, which other staff members had attempted to delete, also showed McKnight “placing a blanket tightly over the infant’s mouth for an extended period of time,” according to the solicitor’s office.
Staff members took the child to Prisma Children’s Hospital when it became clear that she could not walk. There, staff noticed and photographed bruising on the child’s arm and leg. She had suffered a spiral fracture, which was consistent with physical abuse in an infant at that age, experts testified at the trial.
The child was placed in a non-walking cast “for weeks,” according to the release.
The infant’s mother described it as “heart shattering” and told the court that she was no longer able to trust others with child care, according to the solicitor’s office.
Video that law enforcement recovered also led to McKnight being charged with cruelty to children for harming several other infants at the day care. She was convicted of these separate charges on June 20, 2023.
In one incident, also on March 11, video footage showed McKnight restrained a 9-month-old infant by wrapping a blanket around his arms, legs, and feet before placing him in the crib on his stomach. He was then left immobilized for nearly two hours, leaving him at risk of asphyxiation, according to the solicitor’s office.
Two other staff members at Windsor Academy, Amy Marie Grice, 38, and Jeannie H. Locklear, 49, were charged with obstructing justice. Their cases remain pending.
At the time, investigators said the two women attempted to delete the incriminating video after watching it, and then telling investigators that video of the incident did not exist.
McKnight, the other staff and the owners of Windsor Academy were sued by the families of the children harmed by McKnight. While the lawsuit with the family of the 10-month-old has ended, four other suits remain pending.
This case was prosecuted by 11th Circuit Deputy Solicitor Suzanne Mayes and Assistant Solicitor Whitney Yongue Taylor. The case was investigated by the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department Major Crimes Unit.
McKnight was represented at trial by Columbia attorney Larry Marchant. The case was tried in front of
“McKnight was entrusted with the care of these vulnerable and innocent children,” Mayes said after the trial. “She violated that trust and carried out acts of abuse, which cannot be tolerated in any community. We are thankful for the work of all law enforcement and medical professionals in bringing this case to light.”
This story was originally published August 9, 2024 at 3:40 PM.