An Ohio daycare worker, Mary Stewart, has been charged with felonious assault and endangering children after allegedly injuring a 4-year-old girl in her care. The incident has sparked an investigation and a lawsuit, raising serious concerns about daycare safety and accountability.
Details of the Incident
According to Willoughby Municipal Court documents, Stewart, 48, was charged following an investigation by Willowick police. The charges stem from an incident in May 2025, when a 4-year-old child came home from daycare with a broken collarbone.
The child’s mother, Alexis Higham, told WJW-TV that the daycare had initially explained the injury, claiming that the child had tripped and fallen over a cot. However, the young girl later gave a different version of events. She told her mother that a woman at the daycare had grabbed her arm and roughly tossed her onto a cot.
When Higham picked up her daughter that day, she noticed that the child appeared to be in significant pain. “When I went to pick her up, you could tell that she was really hurt,” Higham recalled. X-rays later revealed that the 4-year-old had a broken clavicle bone. Higham and her daughter spent five hours in the ER seeking treatment.
Investigation and Charges
After the injury, Higham decided to withdraw her child from the daycare, which has not been publicly named. Willowick police launched an investigation into the incident, and as a result, Stewart was charged with felonious assault and endangering children.
Stewart pleaded not guilty to the charges. Her case was sent to the Lake County Grand Jury, which will decide if Stewart should face further legal action.
Lawsuit Filed
In addition to the criminal charges, Higham has filed a lawsuit in Lake County Common Pleas Court against Stewart and the daycare. Higham alleges that the daycare facility did not have working security cameras at the time of the incident and that it failed to ensure the safety of the children.
Higham spoke out about the incident, explaining, “I wanted to speak out because just staying silent only protects the abusers.” Her attorney, Marco Bocciarelli, emphasized the need for systemic change, stating, “It’s important that we make sure these facilities are learning a lesson and not just the people that are working there. I think it’s a systemic issue that we have to deal with.”
The Importance of Daycare Safety
This case highlights the crucial need for safety measures in daycare facilities, including proper surveillance and accountability. The absence of functioning security cameras, as alleged by Higham, raises concerns about how incidents like this are handled and reported. Daycares have a responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of the children in their care, and incidents of abuse or neglect must be addressed immediately.
The criminal charges against Mary Stewart and the lawsuit filed by Alexis Higham bring to light serious concerns about daycare safety and potential abuse. Higham’s decision to speak out is an important step toward holding both individuals and institutions accountable for ensuring the protection of children. As the legal process unfolds, this case will likely raise broader questions about safety standards in daycare facilities across the country.
