A plea hearing for three former employees charged with child abuse at a DeKalb County day care facility is scheduled for Wednesday morning, court officials said.
In December 2023, Alexis Renee Swain, 28, and Cori Chambers, 21, were both charged with cruelty to children in the first degree, while Cassandra Artis Chambers, 56, was charged with failure to report suspected child abuse, according to the DeKalb District Attorney’s Office.
The charges are in connection with allegations made by parents at the Appletree Learning Center and Academy on East Ponce de Leon Avenue in Stone Mountain.
An investigation was opened in June 2022 when one parent reported injuries to her child’s face, according to prosecutors. The charges are tied to 13 victims who ranged in age from 6 months to almost 3 years old.
According to warrants previously obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Swain was accused of causing nine children “cruel and excessive mental or physical pain,” including by striking one child with an open hand and slamming one child into a wooden chair.
Cassandra Chambers was accused of reviewing security footage of the physical altercations but not reporting the incidents to law enforcement, according to her warrant.
A warrant was not obtained for Cori Chambers.
A fourth employee, Cherretta Hull, 78, was charged with cruelty to children in the first degree, but her case is still pending. Hull was accused of “maliciously” causing seven children “cruel and excessive mental or physical pain,” including by hitting a child in the face and hitting another with a baby bottle, according to her warrant.
The plea hearing is slated for 10 a.m. Wednesday in Superior Court Chief Judge LaTisha Dear Jackson’s courtroom.
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