ALLENDALE TWP., MI (WHTC-AM/FM) – An Allendale day care center is under investigation after three separate incidents in a week’s time involving a staffer and infants under the staffer’s care.
The Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department was alerted to the situation last Monday, February 19th, when a three-month-old boy who wasn’t breathing was rushed from the Rainbow Child Care Center of Allendale to Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, where he was treated and released. Since then, two other incidents of alleged abuse of children under the age of one occurred, according to Sheriff’s Detective Captain Mark Bennett. “Parents raised concerns that their children had been assaulted by a staff member,” he explained. “The three children involved in these incidents do not appear to be injured at this time, and sheriff’s investigators have been told that the 22-year-old employee connected to these assault incidents has been placed on administrative leave.”
Once the investigation by the Sheriff’s Department, child protective services and the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs into the entire matter is complete, the case will be brought before Ottawa County Prosecutor Ron Frantz’ office for review.
