Background: News footage of the Milestones Early Learning Center in Plymouth, Minn. (KSTP). Inset: Aniya Keosongseng (Hennepin County Sheriff”s Office).
A Minnesota daycare worker has been terminated following an incident in which police say her level of intoxication at work necessitated hospital intervention.
Aniya Keosongseng, 21, faces charges of child endangerment and resisting arrest. This comes after an incident in February at the Milestones Early Learning Center in Plymouth, Minnesota. On February 23, a fellow employee alerted authorities, reporting that one of the teachers was experiencing a “panic attack,” according to court documents obtained by Law&Crime.
Upon arriving at the daycare, officers discovered Keosongseng in an allegedly inebriated state.
The criminal complaint reveals that Keosongseng emitted a strong scent of alcohol, and coworkers noted her slurred speech and unsteady movements. Surveillance footage from the daycare reportedly captures Keosongseng’s condition deteriorating that afternoon. The video allegedly shows her appearing drowsy while attempting to button a child’s outfit, then falling backward into a wall, causing the child’s head to hit the surface.
Witnesses say Keosongseng attempted to comfort the child. However, while trying to shift closer to the child on the ground, she reportedly lost her balance and fell on top of the youngster.
When police attempted to take Keosongseng into custody, she allegedly resisted by pulling away and dropping to the floor. While on the ground, she is accused of biting an officer on the leg.
According to the complaint, police ran a PBT on Keosongseng, which showed that she had a blood alcohol content of 0.356, more than four times the legal driving limit in Minnesota. Police said Keosongseng admitted that she went home during her lunch hour and drank alcohol before returning to work that day. Instead of bringing her directly to jail, police brought her to the hospital “due to her level of intoxication.”
Local ABC affiliate KSTP received a statement from the day care center stating that Keosongseng was fired immediately. The statement also said that the children she was watching were “moved to another room” so Keosongseng could be “assisted” during what they initially believed was a “potential medical concern.” They acknowledged that “alcohol was involved.”
The day care center’s statement said that after it cooperated with detectives and spoke to the children’s families, “no child was injured as a result of the staff member’s behavior.”
Keosongseng was charged with endangering a child and interfering with a peace officer, both gross misdemeanors. After being booked into the Hennepin County Jail, she was released. Her next court date is scheduled for April 16.
