Daycare worker accused of breaking child’s leg

ZIONSVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — A day care worker at the Zionsville Presbyterian Church is accused of breaking a child’s leg. The incident happened in July at Noah’s Ark , a day care program at the church.

The Boone County Prosecutor’s Office is charging 26-year-old Areeana Adeniyi with battery of a minor and neglect. There is a warrant out for her arrest.

Court documents said the day care worker put the “child above her head”, “spins him,” and “flips him over her shoulder and onto the ground.” Prosecutors say there is video of the incident, but wouldn’t share it with News 8.

Police said the video shows the “child in distress, crying, and holding his lower leg” as he tries to get Adeniyi’s attention. Adeniyi seemed to be focused somewhere else. The boy attempted to stand, but couldn’t because of the injured leg.

Initially, the day care said the child’s pain was due to a twisting of the ankle after the teacher lifted him in the air.

After the boy’s father took him to a hospital that night, x-rays showed the child fractured his tibia, the lower portion of his leg.

The next day, the child’s father called police after seeing the video. The Child Protective Team at Riley Hospital said, “[Incident] doesn’t appear to be playful from video provided.”

Adeniyi told police she usually picks up children and flips them to make them smile.

But Adeniyi texts to her supervisor after the incident said, “I think I just broke his foot playing with him too hard.” She later describes the child to police as, “Not a really nice kid,” “a cry baby,” and that he has “anger problems.”

The child was initially placed into a hard splint, and later, a hard cast for three weeks. It has since been removed.