Two former workers at a prominent Alabama church daycare have been convicted of multiple counts of child abuse.
A jury on Friday found Leah Livingston, 58, and Alice Sorrells, 62, guilty after almost five hours of deliberations, said 19th Judicial Circuit District Attorney C.J. Robinson. The trial began on Monday.
A third worker, Susan Baker, is also under indictment. Her case is set to go to trial on Feb. 3.
The abuse involved up to 11 children under the age of 2 at Journey Church of the River Region in Prattville.
Child abuse is a Class C felony with a sentencing range of one to 10 years in prison. Failure of a mandatory reporter to report known or suspected abuse of a child is a misdemeanor with a maximum punishment of a $500 fie and up to six months in jail.
Circuit Judge Ben Fuller has not yet sent a sentencing date.
“We are so thankful for the jury’s decision, and we appreciate their service,’’ Robinson said.
“The seven children and their families were our driving motivation to continue fighting for justice,’’ he said. “Even though these children were too young to tell us what happened, know that we heard your cries, know that the jury heard you, and know that these women will pay for what they did.”
All of the of the suspects were initially arrested by Prattville police in May on one count each of child abuse and failure of a mandatory report to disclose an act of child abuse.
Indictments issued later in May included a combined 44 charges for the three women.
Susan Baker
Charging documents in the early-May case stated Livingston pushed a child down in the crib causing him to strike his head against the crib and jerking his legs.
Sorrells, a jury found, jerked a child down in the crib, causing him to hit his head against the plexiglass in the crib.
“She then forcefully jerks his leg,’’ the record states. “The child cries out in pain but is not checked to see if any injuries occurred or to console the child after being mistreated.”
Baker is accused of willfully abusing a child by jerking the crib in a forceful manner causing the child to hit his head on the crib.
“She strikes him and holds him down,’’ the deposition states. “She returns to the crib and slams him down striking him again. Susan Baker at the time of the offense was a daycare worker and a responsible person taking care of the child at the time of the offense.”
All three previously worked at another daycare in the Prattville area that closed in December and moved to Journey Church of the River Region daycare.
The investigation began when a potential employee was shadowing the suspects and saw behavior that she thought was inappropriate, Robinson said. She went to the director with her concerns and the director contacted Prattville police.
“The director pulled the (video) footage for the last 30 days and the video showed multiple incidents of child abuse,’’ Robinson said.
Robinson said the videos showed shoving and striking of the children. The video available to dated back to Feb. 22.
None of the children sustained serious physical injuries.
Robinson praised Prattville police for their investigation on the case, saying they “worked tirelessly to uncover the truth.”