Four Louisiana Daycare Workers Charged With Child Abuse

Four women have been arrested and are accused of hitting children at their daycare with wooden sticks.

The women worked at the Noah’s Ark Daycare in Vidalia, La near the Louisiana/Mississippi border.

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The Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office said that deputies were notified of a 14-month-old child that had been hit on the back while in the care of the Noah’s Ark Daycare. Investigators were able to gain possession of some security footage at the daycare and witnessed a worker strike the child several times. They said that two other one-year-old children were hit as well.

The investigators obtained a search warrant for the DVR system at the daycare. Upon viewing videos from the seized equipment, many more instances of abuse were found from several daycare workers.

The Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office reported that the abuse included children being struck excessively on different parts of their bodies including the face, mouth, and head. Also found on the videos were several employees striking the children with wooden paint sticks.

Sheriff David Hedrick said in a statement:

The well-being of our children are one of the main priorities of my office and as your Sheriff, I will continue to ensure their safety.

Because of the nature of the crime, the Concordia Parish Sheriff's Office called in the Louisiana State Police to help aid in the investigation. As a result, four of the daycare workers have been arrested.

The Four Women Who Were Arrested Are As Follows:

• 36-year-old Lysa Richardson of Vidalia, LA
  • Charges: (3) Counts of Cruelty to Juveniles
• 27-year-old Julianne Porales  of Fayette, MS
  • Charges: (11) Counts of Cruelty to Juveniles
• 19-year-old Taylor Ragonesi of Ferriday, LA
  • Charges: (3) Counts of Cruelty to Juveniles
• 34-year-old Bridget Delaughter of Vidalia, LA
  • Charges: (4) Counts of Cruelty to Juveniles