Abuse arrests include employees at 2 day cares
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Two women who worked at Sioux Falls day cares are facing child abuse allegations.
One incident was reported Tuesday and the other on Wednesday.
Both women are behind bars in Minnehaha County.
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A 10 minute video captured inside NXTGen Kidz shows 38-year-old Chelsea Struss hitting toddlers, handling them roughly, and dropping one onto the ground face first according to an affidavit.
The alleged victims are all one-year-old boys.
Court documents say a staff member in a hallway overheard Struss yelling at the children and stepped into the room to intervene.
Struss reportedly said she was over stimulated and had a lot going on.
'This is never OK,' Parent Destiny Amyx said.
Amyx says her toddler was in the room during the alleged abuse.
'I work with children with autism, and I know how hard it can be, but that is not an excuse. It is very serious, and it's something I'm still trying to process as a parent,' Amyx said.
A statement on NXTGen Kidz's Facebook page says the business is saddened by the incident and remains committed to working with police on any misconduct by staff.
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Investigators say the second case was reported in the 5100 block of S Cliff Avenue.
That's the same block where La Petite Academy is located.
'What we had found out was one of the employees, our suspect in this case, took some wood chips that were kind of in the playground area and pushed them into the child's mouth,' said Sam Clemens with the Sioux Falls Police Department.
Mia Lopez, 22, is currently in jail in connection to the case.
Police say the four-year-old alleged victim wasn't physically hurt.
The Lincoln County State's Attorney says criminal charges will be filed early next week.
The court system is currently closed for the Easter holiday.
KELOLAND News spoke with the owner of NXTGen Kidz on the phone Friday.
She says Struss, who faces four counts of felony child abuse, is no longer employed there.
KELOLAND News also reached out to La Petite Academy which later then requested at 3:50 p.m. Friday that reporter Kelli Volk complete a form
Volk had been told earlier Friday that her phone number would be passed onto a district manager.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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