OAK CREEK, Wis. — It was an emotional afternoon for Kimberly Hopson and James Staples, as they described the feelings they have about their son, Prince, who investigators said was exposed to cocaine at a local daycare.
The story starts several weeks ago, at the beginning of May when Hopson said she realized her son wasn't acting right.
"My son, he used to be the happiest baby every, like he would laugh at anything. Now, he doesn't sleep through the night anymore, he's just restless, he's agitated, he doesn't play with his toys," Hopson explained.
It was a wave of emotions for Hopson as she, her family, and her attorney stood outside the very daycare where investigators said her son was exposed to cocaine.
"Every day he's coming here, and I'm thinking he's safe, and it's just a million times worse. I can't imagine how scared he was," Hopson said.
On May 3rd, Hopson said she noticed her son, Prince, had bruises on his body. Six days after that, she said she noticed a cut on his eye. Then, on May 14th, she said the daycare called her and said Prince was sick and throwing up. The same thing happened on May 15th, and that's when Hopson took her son to the hospital.
Court documents show Prince's urine sample tested positive for cocaine.
"We are here today because of a grave and unconscionable betrayal of trust. A place that should've been a sanctuary for children," family attorney, B'Ivory LaMarr, said.
LaMarr said they're not pursuing legal action yet, but they are calling on KinderCare to change its practices.
"This daycare should be closed down. The day they were raided and found the cocaine was a missed opportunity. The owner of this daycare should've demanded every parent to be contacted that day, and all their children sent to some clinic that day, to be tested for cocaine," Prince's grandmother, Desiree Hopson, said.
The family is also asking for surveillance cameras to be installed and for the district attorney's office to file charges of neglect against the daycare's employees.
"I can't believe what happened to my son. How could you do that to an innocent baby. My life is forever changed. I can't trust anyone with my kids every again. My son is not the same baby," Kimberly Hopson pleaded.
A spokesperson with KinderCare has confirmed that the employee who was arrested and charged for allegedly having the baggie of cocaine has been fired.
Here's the statement KinderCare provided:
"As a licensed child care provider, we work closely with state officials to ensure we provide children with a safe place to learn and grow. It also means that we self-report concerns and work with state officials to look into those concerns. When families choose a licensed child care provider in Wisconsin, such as our Oak Creek KinderCare center, they can be assured that their center’s safety record is publicly available on childcarefinder.wisconsin.gov, along with the corrective action staff took to address specific issues. As our center’s licensing record shows, we promptly addressed each concern state officials noted."
TMJ4 has previously reported that this Oak Creek KinderCare has nearly two dozen state violations with the Department of Children and Families.
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