Police in Killeen, Texas, are investigating the alleged sexual assault of a 4-month-old girl at a local day-care center. The incident, which is still under investigation, is horrible in its own right; however, retaliatory actions by the day-care center against the infant's mother are equally despicable and disturbing.
"Officers responded to the Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center on Wednesday, February 20, 2008 at 9:45 p.m. in reference to a welfare concern," reads a press release the Killeen Police Department posted to their Web site Monday. "The mother of the victim drove to Darnall after she left the day-care [center] and asked for her child to be checked for unusual bruising. An officer met with doctors at Darnall who advised that the 4-month-old female had bruising consistent with a sexual assault."
The incident allegedly took place at Little Blessings Child Care Center at 803 N. 10th St. in Killeen. Nishea Porter, a caregiver at the facility, told Temple-telegram.com that she discovered the injuries while caring for the infant. Porter pointed them out to the infant's mother, Kristie Simmons, when she came to pick up her daughter.
"When I saw it, I didn't think anything of it," Porter said. "I asked her if the baby had a diaper rash, and she said, 'No.' After I told her, she started pacing around, panting and fanning herself."
Porter denied media reports that police currently suspect a Little Blessings employee; however, Monday's police press release states that they have "identified an employee of the day-care [center] as a suspect in the case." In addition, News8austin.com posted an article yesterday that claimed, "There has been an arrest of an employee at the day-care [center], but charges are pending."
According to Carroll Smith of the Killeen Police Department, the suspect has a criminal record. The Department of Family and Protective Services Web site also shows a pending violation for Little Blessings for not conducting background checks on its employees.
In wake of the allegations, both the owner and employees of the day-care center have, according to Temple-telegram.com, posted signs in front of the business accusing Simmons of raping her infant daughter.
"Since she blindly accused us, and the investigation is still open, we went out and did the exact same thing," Porter said. "There is nothing pinpoint that says she was molested here."
In an interview with Kdhnews.com, Jackie Haile, owner of Little Blessings, also defended the signs. "If she has freedom of speech, so do we," Haile declared.
In an interview with the same Web site, Tiffani Simmons, an aunt of the victim, said the family would like to see the day-care center shut down, adding, "They've been threatening our lives."
The infant's father, a Fort Hood soldier who had been deployed to Iraq, flew home Tuesday. The family has since hired an attorney and is contemplating legal action against the day-care center.
"When you have a positive rape kit on a 4-month-old baby girl, why is the place still open?" said Tiffani Simmons in an interview with Kcentv.com.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the Killeen Police Department at 254-501-8807.
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