Safe Haven Daycare in Indianapolis, Ind. (Google Maps).
An Indianapolis daycare owner has been accused of inflicting a catastrophic head injury on a 10-month-old boy, an injury so severe that surgeons had to remove portions of the child’s skull.
Lawanda Hardnett-Rados, 50, faces charges of child neglect resulting in serious bodily injury and battery resulting in serious bodily injury, according to court records. Authorities say the incident happened at Safe Haven Daycare, an in-home facility located in the 3300 block of North Kenwood Avenue in Indianapolis.
A probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by Law&Crime states that 911 was called on March 13 after the baby became unresponsive at the daycare. He was taken to a hospital, where doctors performed emergency surgery to ease swelling in his brain and remove sections of his skull, the affidavit says.
Medical staff placed the child in a medically induced coma. Investigators believe Hardnett-Rados either slammed the baby or shook him with significant force.
The boy’s mother reportedly told police she brought her son to the daycare at about 5 a.m. When she came back roughly 12 hours later, another child allegedly told her that her son was not breathing. She ran inside and found Hardnett-Rados performing CPR. The mother said the baby had no known medical problems and appeared healthy when she left him that morning.
Police said an employee typically cares for several infants and toddlers at the 24-hour daycare while Hardnett-Rados works her primary job. Hardnett-Rados then takes over child care duties after returning home around 5 p.m.
That employee told investigators she cared for the baby earlier that day and that he appeared to be fine, though somewhat sleepy. She also said Hardnett-Rados told her she should get a lawyer, prompting the employee to respond that she did not need one because she had done nothing wrong.
Hardnett-Rados said after the employee left, she knew that the boy’s mom was going to be picking him up soon so she put him in a playpen to get him ready to go.
“She described him as whiny and crying, but not his normal cry,” cops wrote. “She just said his cry was more of a whiny cry.”
Hardnett-Rados said the boy began shivering. She picked him up and he went limp, the affidavit said. He was not responding to her. She had someone call 911.
Doctors believed the injuries were inflicted after the employee left, making Hardnett-Rados responsible, cops wrote.
Detectives spoke with some of the older kids at the daycare who provided critical information. One child recalled Hardnett-Rados talking with her daughter about the incident. The daughter said she remembered the suspect taking the boy into a room when he was crying. Hardnett-Rados allegedly responded, “shut up before you make things worse.”
The child said Hardnett-Rados sometimes hits the kids with an open and closed fist, cops wrote.
Another child said she saw Hardnett-Rados grabbing the boy by the arm and carrying him to another room. The suspect looked “irritated” and told the boy to “be quiet and stop crying,” cops wrote. When she came out with the boy, he was no longer crying.
Hardnett-Rados is in the Marion County Jail. Her next court date is set for Friday.
The post Daycare owner caused brain bleed on 10-month-old so severe doctors had to remove part of his skull after she told him to ‘be quiet and stop crying,’ cops say first appeared on Law & Crime.
