By Danny Federico Riverbend News
A Live Oak daycare worker turned herself in to the Suwanee County Jail on Saturday, June 12, following an investigation of aggravated child abuse.
The investigation began on Friday, May 28, when the parents of a 2-year-old male victim informed Patrolman Gerald Butler with the Live Oak Police Department (LOPD) how their son was "picked up, dragged across a room and dropped onto the floor of a daycare by a daycare worker." The daycare was identified by the parents as Bright Stars Academy, located at 1017 11th St. SW, in Live Oak. Patrolman Butler was advised by the parents that their son suffered a broken leg due to the incident and had to be taken to the hospital.
On Friday, June 11, Patrolman Butler states he "observed [the victim] with a full leg cast on his right leg." In his report, Butler states he asked the parents why they waited to report the incident, to which they responded, "the academy had originally told them [the child] fell over a block and wouldn't show them the video until today (Friday, June 11)." While at the residence, Patrolman Butler took pictures of the victim's leg and received copies of the hospital x-rays and medical documents, which he submitted into evidence.
Butler then visited Bright Stars Academy, where employees contacted temporary Director Samantha Macy, who took him back to her office and played the video of the incident. During this time, Patrolman Butler "observed the suspect, who was identified by Macy as Shanetris Clayton, pick up [the victim] by the left arm, lift up and carry/drag him across the room by the arm, then set him down on a rug." The time of this occurrence was marked on the camera as 11:05 a.m.
Patrolman Butler then states how, once he observed the victim being set down, the child "starts screaming, holding his leg and rolling back and forth in clear distress. For the next few minutes, [Butler] did not observe any employee of Bright Stars Academy attempt to address [the child] and his injury." Macy then advised Butler that Clayton was fired on Friday, June 11, for this incident. The report goes on to say that, "According to Macy, emergency medical services were not contacted by their business and [the victim's] parents were called in at approximately [2 p.m.], three hours after the incident." When the victim's mother arrived, she immediately took the child to the hospital.
"Macy told me she was the temporary director and the full time director, Tara Peppers, would be back on [Monday, June 14]," the report states. "Macy said Clayton was fired earlier in the day for the incident."
Patrolman Butler then made contact with Clayton via phone. When explaining the situation to him, Clayton said she "picked [the victim] up the wrong way" and set him down on a block she didn't see. "Clayton advised she walked with [the victim] while holding him this way," the report states. "Clayton told [Butler] she didn't know anything was wrong with [the child] until after his nap and he wasn't getting up." She then told Butler she called the child's parents immediately after. When asked about the victim's initial reaction to his leg being hurt, Clayton said "he was crying and she examined it, but couldn't find anything wrong."
When asked how the victim got to his mat for nap time, Clayton initially responded, saying the child "crawled over to his mat," before changing her answer to "another worker picking him up and bringing him over to his mat." Clayton told Patrolman Butler she didn't know the extent of the child's injury until she was pulled into the office at her work on Friday.
On Saturday, June 12, at approximately 6:30 p.m., 25-year-old Shanetris Mache Clayton, of Live Oak, willingly turned herself in to the Suwannee County Jail under charges of aggravated child abuse. She was released on Sunday, June 13, at approximately 10 a.m.