Parent of Charlotte daycare facing criminal charges, says her kids are safe there

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Parents are now speaking out in defense of a daycare facility that was accused of putting children’s lives in danger.

In March, the state shut down Midwood Learning Academy on Central Avenue after video surfaced showing workers transporting young children in a van without securing them in car seats or seatbelts.

“I leave my kids with them because I feel like they are safe,” said parent Danielle Brown, whose three children go to the school, “so I know for a fact they wasn’t in danger.”

Parents who send their children to Midwood Learning Academy are defending the daycare after two workers were fired for not properly securing kids in the back of a van while leaving a nearby park. The incident in late February also landed daycare director Leslye Torrence behind bars for child abuse.

Twice, following the allegations, Queen City News went to Midwood Learning Academy to get their side of the story.

In March, we knocked on the door, and said to the owner and Leslye’s mother, Shirley Torrence, “We’re interested in talking about some of the charges against Leslye.”

She shut the door on us, however, today she and others, held a news conference to say they want Leslye’s charges dropped.

When asked why she wasn’t receptive to our questions months ago, but she is now, Shirley Torrence said, “I was told initially by the state not to speak to anyone. It’s an ongoing investigation, and then they turned around and said, ‘well, we can’t tell you not to speak to anyone.'”

Leslye Torrence who was visibly upset at the event, begins her trial Wednesday morning. She faces six counts of child abuse. The warrant worksheet states Torrence took the kids to the park; however, she says wasn’t there when the incident happened, and that there’s a reason the driver sped off.

“Her child repeatedly says, ‘the lady tried to snatch my friend.'” Shirley Torrence said.

The group claims the same woman who told police that the children were unsupervised at the park and unsecured in the vehicle was allegedly trying to kidnap one of the children. They say the daycare workers sped off to escape what they perceived as danger.

“It may have been dangerous because the door was open,” said the parent, Brown. “Somebody could have fell out, but if the lady was not intervening in what they were doing, none of that would have happened.”

For now, one of the two daycare locations, which sit side by side, remains open. The owner says they take care of 25 kids, and all past violations stating staff didn’t complete first aid or CPR training have been corrected.

“It’s the daycares that don’t have violations that are hiding something,” Shirley Torrence said.

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