Daycare employee charged with child abuse

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) - An employee at a daycare center in Charleston is facing child abuse charges, according to West Virginia State Police.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Kanawha County Magistrate Court, troopers responded to a complaint of child abuse at the Discovery Kingdom Day Care, located at 1400 Quarrier Street.

Caleb Staunton, 21, of Beckley, is charged with child abuse.

The administrators of the daycare told investigators about the alleged abuse that happened on May 17, 2023. Troopers reviewed surveillance video which showed Staunton grabbing the victim, a three-year old boy, by his arm, sitting him in a chair in an attempt to change his socks, according to the criminal complaint.

The complaint goes on to state Staunton aggressively ripped the boy’s socks off, lifted up his legs causing the boy to almost fall off the chair. The victim’s seat slid and the boy fell to the ground. When the child sat back down, Staunton grabbed the back of his head, holding him in this position for several seconds, the complaint continued.

During the investigation Staunton admitted to troopers to grabbing the boy by the back of his head.

The criminal complaint states Staunton is 6′1″ and approximately 220 lbs. and investigators believe his size and the force of which he jerked the child’s head back could possibly have caused extensive injury.

The owner of the daycare center released the following statement.