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Two South Carolina childcare workers have been arrested after being accused of running a horrific “child fighting ring” after their disturbing actions were caught on camera.
They allegedly incited minors aged three to four to slap and hit each other.
Ericka Sherai’ Jones. 27, and Serena Caldwell, 56, were accused of encouraging at least 14 minors to fight at Kids Unlimited in Prosperity in Newberry County, South Carolina.
The Newberry County Sheriff’s Office arrested the two teachers Thursday for contributing to the delinquency of a minor and unlawful conduct toward a child.
The two men appeared in court for a bond hearing which was granted on the condition that they have no contact with the victims and minors who may need care.
The arrest came after a child at the daycare told a parent last month that they were asked to hit themselves as punishment.
Serena Caldwell (pictured), 56, and Ericka Sherai’ Jones. 27, were accused of encouraging at least 14 juveniles to fight each other at Kids Unlimited in Prosperity in Newberry County, South Carolina.
Jones (pictured) and Caldwell were accused of running a “child fighting ring” as they were filmed inciting minors aged three to four to slap and hit each other.
The arrest came after a child at the daycare told a parent last month that they were told to hit themselves as punishment.
Security camera footage later revealed that Jones and Caldwell told at least 14 children to “slap, push, shove and hit other kids at Kids Unlimited as a means of punishment or to get them to follow the rules.” “.
They “encouraged and ordered other students to fight or engage in violence toward other students and allowed the violence to continue without correction,” Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster said. WISTV.
‘What were you thinking?’ » Foster asked in disbelief of the incident.
“I don’t know who would think this was an appropriate way to encourage three- and four-year-olds to participate in violence, regardless of what they thought it would lead to.”
The sheriff’s office has not yet released any images related to the alleged misconduct of the daycare teachers.
Security camera footage later revealed that Jones and Caldwell told at least 14 children to “slap, push, shove and hit other kids at Kids Unlimited as a means of punishment or to get them to follow the rules.” “.
After hearing from a concerned parent about the incident, the daycare quickly fired Jones and Caldwell and notified police.
“The two teachers under investigation for an incident at the daycare have turned themselves in to the Newberry County Detention Center,” the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Caldwell faces 15 counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and 15 counts of unlawful conduct toward a child. Jones faces 14 counts on the same charges.
Caldwell was additionally accused of hitting a child with a box of baby wipes, police added. Jones may have recorded the incident on his phone.
“It was a situation where they were participating in encouraging the kids,” Foster said.
“They viewed it as something maybe almost equivalent to a sporting event where they were sort of trying to motivate kids to participate,” he said.
The sheriff’s office has not yet released any images related to the daycare teachers’ alleged misconduct.
Caldwell (pictured) faces 15 counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and 15 counts of unlawful conduct toward a child
“We’ve had educators who molested children, and educators who maybe took the punishment a little too far, but nothing like this,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.”
He added that the daycare had no complicity in the incident.
“The daycare did exactly what the law says and perhaps more than that, it was forthright,” he said.
“When they found out, they had no intention of dealing with it alone.”
A judge granted Jones a $56,000 bond and Caldwell a $60,000 bond Thursday afternoon.
They were released on conditions, including not contacting the victims in this case, not contacting minors who may need care, and not leaving the state until obtaining permission from the state’s office. the lawyer.