Left inset: Sandra Downer appeared in court over allegations of assaulting two small children under her care. Right inset: Image capturing Sandra Downer dragging a 17-month-old girl by her arm, lifting her off the ground. Background: The Lad “n Lassie Nursery & Preschool where the incidents occurred (WCVB/YouTube).
A Massachusetts day care proprietor, known for being “trusted,” has confessed to physically abusing two young children she was supervising last year. One of these children, a 17-month-old girl, was caught on video being aggressively handled by the arm, while the other was forcefully slammed and tied to a cot.
Sandra Downer, aged 58 and from Natick, admitted her guilt last Thursday to two counts of assault and battery. The charges pertain to incidents at her child care facility, Lad ‘n Lassie Nursery & Preschool, which took place in October, as reported by WCVB, a local ABC news outlet. WCVB.
Footage obtained by WCVB shows Downer harshly lifting the 17-month-old girl by her arm and sitting her down, while other children are seen painting. Authorities observed that, at one point, the toddler was lifted approximately 2 to 3 feet off the ground.
Another episode, also captured on camera, depicts Downer forcefully throwing the toddler’s sister onto a cot and restraining her, as corroborated by police and legal officials.
“I saw clear signs of abuse, and it shattered my heart to watch both my daughters suffer [assault] from someone we believed was trustworthy,” commented the children’s mother, who chose to remain anonymous, during an interview with WCVB. “It was incredibly devastating.”
Another person who uses the day care said, “Every parent just wonders ‘are their kids safe when they’re not there?’ It just shatters your trust in people.”
At least one witness told police that they had previously seen Downer be “rough with the kids” during other alleged incidents, according to prosecutors. When questioned about the assaults, she admitted to committing them and said she apologized to the children.
Downer has reportedly surrendered her childcare provider license and admitted in court to exercising poor judgement on the day of the assaults. She will be on probation for 18 months as part of her plea deal and must take anger management classes, as well as a mental health evaluation.
