What ever happened to telling bedtime stories!?
Four daycare workers — including the owner — were arrested in Tennessee for allegedly slipping melatonin to over two dozen children in order to get them to sleep longer.
According to a press release from the Stewart County Sheriff’s Office, an investigation was opened at MiMi’s Daycare in Indian Mound when parents realized their kids’ sleeping habits were out of whack after picking them up from the facility.
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Investigator Dana Saltkill told TV station WSMV that police became involved after a complaint was filed on March 25, sharing:
“When [the parents] would pick [their kids] up, they would sleep all the way home and sometimes reports of children staying up most of the night, so their sleeping habits are off. They also made some disclosures that there was melatonin going on at lunchtime at the daycare center.”
The investigation led to the arrests of Jaime Clark, 45, Kristin Clark, 21, Jordan Darnell, 22, and Ethan Pulley, 21, on various charges ranging from child abuse and neglect to contributing to a minor, per online jail records.
Each of the women (Jaime, Kristin, and Darnell) were charged with one count of abuse and neglect among other charges, and their bonds were set at least $60,000 bond. Pulley was charged with one count of fabricating/tampering with evidence, with a bond at $10,000. The daycare has been closed since May 2.
One of the people who filed the complaint was Candice Short, a mother who started working at the daycare after she quit her previous job. She told WSMV:
“I witnessed them giving melatonin to the children. Shock is like I don’t even know because it’s more than shock — it’s literally devastation.”
Parent Kimberly Bergstrom told the station her children wouldn’t fall asleep when they were home, adding:
“Hearing that [the owner] gave them anything? I would’ve taken my kids out. I would’ve been distraught. But hearing the amount she gave them? I can’t even believe she’s a mother.”
Investigators say the workers gave children about double the average dose. Detective Lee Miller said officials believe about 27 children, including infants, were given melatonin since the daycare opened about three years ago, telling WKRN:
“There are some parents that have stated their children have suffered possibly from the melatonin that they’d been given,” Miller said. “So, we’re still investigating that.”
Investigators believe there could potentially be more victims. Those with more information, or anyone with a child who attended the daycare, is urged to call the Stewart County Sheriff’s Office at 931-232-4053.
[Image via Stewart County Sheriff’s Office]
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