Two Blaine daycare employees charged with abusing infants

Two employees at a Blaine daycare have been charged with abusing three infants in their care.

The Blaine Police Department says it received a report of possible child abuse at Small World Daycare Center last week. The report stemmed from a five-month-old infant who had bruising on multiple body parts on July 15.

Warning: Contains upsetting details.

Providers at the center initially said the bruising may have been caused by a baby swing. But surveillance footage showed “obvious acts of abuse” by two daycare employees, according to BPD. They were identified as Elizabeth Augusta Wiemerslage, 23, of Coon Rapids and Chloe Kaye Johnson, 31, of Blaine.

In one video, Johnson was seen grabbing an infant on the upper thighs, hip and groin areas and violently flipping her on her back. Weimerslage was present at the time.

Johnson was also seen holding a cloth to an infant’s mouth for several seconds. Later, Johnson slammed the same infant down onto a support pillow while seated next to Wiemerslage.

Wiemerslage also shoved a third infant onto a changing table.

One of the infants was found to have bruising on nine different areas of the body, while another had a fractured leg.

Both Johnson and Weimerslage were charged with one count of felony malicious punishment of a child, one count of 3rd-degree assault of a victim under four and two counts of gross misdemeanor malicious punishment of a child.

BPD says Small World Daycare Center is cooperating with its investigation.

“Although we have been forced to investigate other terrible acts of child abuse, this one is exceptionally shocking,” a release from BPD read.

“Most parents drop their children off at daycare centers believing that their child will be safe, especially since there is usually more than one care provider watching their child at any one given time.”