SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — A Sioux Falls day care owner was arrested Wednesday night on charges of abuse of or cruelty to a minor stemming from an incident that happened at her day care, Wildflower Academy.
Ametrea Christion, owner of Wildflower Academy, has since posted bond and been released from jail. No court date has been set in the case.
According to an affidavit filed in the case, Sioux Falls police followed up on two reports made to Child Protective Services (CPS) concerning abuse allegations at the Sioux Falls day care which claimed the owner of the facility had assaulted an 11-year-old boy.
Along with the reports was a 30-second video of the incident taken on a cell phone of a recording from computer monitor.
Court documents say Christion can be seen hitting the victim with an open-handed slap while his arms are up to defend himself. The boy bends at the waist to avoid the slap, at which point Christion is seen grabbing him by the hair.
Documents say the victim attempted to run and that Christion pulls him back by his hair, at which point he falls to the floor before being hit at least one more time, according to the detective’s review of the video.
Christion continues to pull the victims hair and prepares to hit him again when the affidavit says another adult in the room appears to say something. Christion temporarily releases the victim before grabbing him by the hair again, raising her hand in what is described as a threatening manner, and then releasing him again. The video then ends.
Police made contact with Christion at the day care, who initially denied knowing why police had come to speak with her. After police showed her the video, she recognized it as herself and the victim and stated that it was “fake.”
Documents say Christion denied pulling the victim by his hair, saying it was by his head instead. She told police about suing two former employees and that they had sent the video as retribution.
Police asked Christion for assistance in contacting the parents of the victim, at which point she asked for her attorney and the interview was ended.
Police say they spoke with the mother of the victim who is an employee of Wildflower Academy. The documents say she was unaware that a report had been made to CPS, and that since August, when the incident occurred, Christion had been telling her that there was no video of the incident, and that she and the victim had just been “playing around.”
Police say the mother was shown the video and immediately began to cry. The victim was then scheduled to be interviewed at Child’s Voice on October 30th.
After the day care had been emptied, Christion told police she had the full video and text messages that would show that the video was “an inaccurate depiction of what happened,” and that she would provide it at the Law Enforcement Center in the morning.
The next morning, the affidavit says Christion called police and told them that she could not retrieve the video and was working with her security company to see if she could get it.
Christion arrived at the police station that afternoon and was interviewed. Asked if she had brought the video she had mentioned, Christion told police she did not have it, and that the oldest video saved was from September.
Police asked Christion why she had told the mother of the victim that the was no video. Christion claimed she was never asked to provide the video.
Police say the father of the victim also told a detective that he had asked for the video, and that Christion had told him that the CCTV system does not record on weekends.
Police next spoke to an employee who was present for the assault and witnessed it. The witness said she did not see how it started, but that she say Christion pulling the victim’s hair and was shocked.
The witness told police that Christion was furious, and that the victim ran and hid in another room to cry.
The witness also said that Christion was scolding the victim for taking attention away from a birthday girl.
Documents say another witness told Christion to back off, and that Christion responded that “The Victim was not a normal child and said he watched porn.”
The first witness said she took the victim home and told his parents about the incident.
On October 31st the victim was interviewed at Child’s Voice. Documents say he told the interviewer that he thought he was going to “play fight” with Christion, but that she didn’t “play fight.” Instead, he said she pulled his hair and threw him to the ground.
The victim told Child’s Voice that he was crying and hid in the computer room, and that Christion yelled at him and accused him of being emotional.
The day care at this time remains suspended by the South Dakota Department of Social Services.
This is a developing story.
