In DARLINGTON COUNTY, S.C., accusations have surfaced regarding a January incident where an employee from Maranatha Childcare Center allegedly assaulted a toddler. This event is reportedly part of a troubling 15-year pattern of concealed abuse and neglect at the institution, as stated in a recently submitted lawsuit.

This legal action followed a week after 72-year-old Laurin Boyce admitted guilt to two charges of unlawful conduct towards a child, receiving a 90-day jail sentence. The parents of the 3-year-old victim are now suing Boyce, several other staff members, the school, and the Free Will Baptist Church of Florence.

Attempts to reach church representatives for comments on Saturday were unsuccessful. Maranatha is noted to be associated with both national and state Christian school organizations, according to information on its website.

The civil suit claims all are liable on grounds of negligence, negligence hiring, assault and battery, civil conspiracy and outrage.

Boyce was one of four people affiliated with the West Palmetto Street who were arrested as part of an abuse investigation.

According to authorities, Boyce “intentionally and repeatedly” slammed a child’s head into a crib, covered their head with a blanket and pressed down on the child’s head for a length of time during a Jan. 23 incident at the school. A week later, she approached a child on the playground, knocked them over, picked them up, and then carried them by the arm and leg before “intentionally dropping the child from waist height onto the child’s head.

Cases are still pending against the others arrested: Childcare development director Jessica Elmore of Florence, school principal Dawn Kirven of Lamar and pastor Lee B. Patrick of Florence, according to online records.

“Maranatha, through its senior leadership, chose to put the reputation and standing of the church over the best interests of the parents and children who entrusted them and the laws of the state,” attorney Robert F. Goings wrote in the suit filed Thursday in Darlington County Common Pleas Court.

The complaint — along with supporting documentation from the school included with the suit — shows a deeper pattern of wrongdoing by Maranatha officials stretching back to 2011.

“The senior leadership of Maranatha created a systemic culture of concealing child abuse, refusing to comply with mandatory reporting requirements and intentionally covering up and lying to parents about neglect and abuse of children at the school,” Goings said.

‘Video was messing up’

On Jan. 23, a Maranatha employee watched Boyce physically assault a 20-month-old girl in her class, reporting it to Elmore, Kirven and Patrick. After being told no action would be taken, the employee contacted the child’s parents on Jan. 29.

In a follow-up meeting with Kirven, the parents suspected her of lying and asked to review surveillance footage of the incident. They were reportedly shown a shorter portion that omitted the assault, Goings said in the suit.

“When (the father) asked to see a longer clip of the video that depicts more interaction … Kirven said the video was “messing up” or “skipping” — all a lie to prevent (the parents) from viewing the footage,” the complaint says.

After asking Kirven to step away from the computer and allowing the video to play through, the parents witnessed Boyce’s assault and asked whether Maranatha officials reported it to state regulators or law enforcement, which they failed to, the complaint says.

The child’s father contacted the Florence County Sheriff’s Office on Jan. 31, prompting its investigation.

“As a result, evidence was seized from the church which revealed over 20 documents incidents of abuse, assault or neglect committed by Boyce at Maranatha that the church knew about and had actively concealed from parents, South Carolina Department of Social Services and law enforcement for years,” Goings said.

‘Easiest way to get on the news’

Employee incident reports obtained by Goings and attached to the lawsuit identify Boyce as the recipient of numerous written warnings for episodes including leaving toddlers unsupervised in cribs, arriving to class late, verbally abusing co-workers in front of children and striking students.

“I expressed concern regarding her putting her hands on the kids and I told her that it could not happen. I told her that is the easiest way to get on the news, get arrested and get DSS called to our preschool,” a supervisor wrote in a Dec. 12, 2019 incident report involving Boyce. “I didn’t suspend Laurin because I am just going off hearsay.”

The lawsuit accuses Maranatha’s leadership of enabling her behavior by continuing to keep on the payroll despite the mounting complaints.

They “and other employees of Maranatha continued to deny the abuse that took place at their facilities — despite clear and unwavering evidence that minor children were, and have been for a long time, assaulted and neglected by Boyce,” the complaint says.