Two Columbus, Ohio day care employees were arrested after surveillance footage showed them allowing a 5-year-old girl to be bullied and picking her up by her ankle.
According to WCMH, 31-year-old Emma Dietrich and 27-year-old Joshua Tennant were employees of the Worthington Learning Center. Police got involved after Dietrich’s and Tennant’s behavior was caught on camera and made public.
This case remains an ongoing investigation. While we are protecting the identity of the 5yo victim we want to share with you the severity of what little girl endured in a learning center. Actions by educators who are now facing criminal charges. https://t.co/GMf7cHAKbhpic.twitter.com/UgsbAwgY0t
— Columbus Ohio Police (@ColumbusPolice) September 11, 2019
The tweets read:
This case remains an ongoing investigation. While we are protecting the identity of the 5yo victim we want to share with you the severity of what little girl endured in a learning center. Actions by educators who are now facing criminal charges.
[…]
EDUCATORS ARRESTED & CHARGED: Today-9/10/19-CPD arrested 31yo Emma Dietrich & 27yo Joshua Tennant from the Worthington Learning Center. 5yo female victim endured extreme bullying by students-caught on camera. Dietrich & Tennant sat & watched.
In the statement, it says that she appeared frightened by the attention. The girl kept “her eyes closed or covered and attempts to curl up into a fetal position”:
“At one point S.K. attempts to get away from the other student and they continue to ‘bully’ her by grabbing her and holding her down.”
As WCMH reports, both Tennant and Dietrich were arrested and charged with child endangerment. Tennant was released on bail and is expected in court on September 16. It’s unclear if Dietrich ever made bail.
All the while, both Tennant and Dietrich just watch, never attempting to stop the harassment. The only time Tennant got involved was to pick the child up by her leg and lay her back down on a rug, per Cleveland Police Department’s statement.