NEWBERRY COUNTY, S.C. — Two daycare workers have been arrested after the Newberry County Sheriff's Office (NCSO) says they allowed children to beat up other children at the facility.
Ericka Sherai Jones, 27, and Serena Caldwell, 56, turned themselves in at the Newberry County Detention Center regarding an incident at the daycare center that occurred on October 23, 2023.
The allegations of child abuse and neglect happened at Kids Unlimited of Prosperity, where the two worked. According to the incident report from NCSO, the owner and supervisor of the daycare center was alerted to an incident on October 23 involving two juveniles being taken from one class to go into another class in order to beat up another juvenile. Surveillance video from the classrooms that has been turned over to NCSO shows there were at least two children hit or slapped on the head and face. Also, one of the daycare workers facing charges allegedly may have used her phone to video the incident.
The incident report lists a total of 14 juveniles involved during the course of the investigation. The children allegedly are aged 3 and 4 years old.
Jones and Caldwell were terminated from their positions at Kids Unlimited on October 24 and placed on verbal and no trespass notice, according to deputies. Jones faces 14 counts of Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor and 14 counts of Unlawful Conduct Toward a Child. Caldwell faces 15 counts of Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor and 15 counts of Unlawful Conduct Toward a Child.