Joyce Perkins, 31, is charged with battery on a person less than 14 years old
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A daycare worker in Indiana faces charges after authorities say she admitted to slapping a child at work.
Joyce Perkins, 31, was charged with battery on a person under 14 years old in connection with the November 2024 incident at Kiddie Academy in Greenwood, Ind., according to court documents cited by WRTV, Fox 59 and WTHR. WRTV was first to report the news.
Police who responded to the scene reviewed surveillance footage they claim shows Perkins hitting a 2-year-old child. Perkins allegedly told investigators, “I had to smack him because he spit all in my face,” the documents state, per Fox 59. Perkins further claimed she wasn’t trying to hurt the child, noting how the child “didn’t cry or nothing.”
Perkins was fired after the childcare center became aware of the alleged incident, the center’s director, Aaron Pankratz, confirmed to WRTV.
“The state licensing authority conducted a thorough investigation and confirmed that we responded appropriately and took every possible measure within our control to address the situation,” the daycare center said in part, in a statement obtained by WRTV.
It’s unclear if Perkins has entered a plea or retained an attorney to speak on her behalf. PEOPLE has also reached out to the Johnson County Prosecutor’s office for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
