OAK CREEK, Wis. — An Oak Creek daycare is being investigated locally and by the state after police said they found cocaine in an employee's bag.
That employee, 24-year-old Passion Watson, has been arrested and charged with drug possession.
Oak Creek Police said it happened at the KinderCare on S. Howell Road. TMJ4 crews saw the daycare up and running Tuesday as staff and children were coming in and out of the building.
It's a story we first heard about on Facebook after Kimberly Hopson, the mother of a one-year-old, Prince, tagged TMJ4.
Hopson said on May 3, 2024, she first noticed her son had bruises on his nose.
Six days after that, Hopson said she was notified of a red abrasion on her son’s eye.
On May 14, Hopson said the daycare told her Prince was sick and throwing up, with no other details provided.
The next day, Hopson claims she received a call informing her that Prince was once again vomiting and in distress.
When she saw her son that day, she said she found multiple bruises covering his body, along with fresh blood from a scratch on his buttocks and an abrasion on his mouth.
That’s when Hopson rushed her son to the hospital.
Documents show Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin staff tested Prince for several things and his urine tested positive for cocaine.
According to a criminal complaint, on May 21st, a child advocate with the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin contacted OCPD after the urine sample tested positive on May 15th.
Police said they searched Hopson’s home and found nothing linked to drug use.
On May 22nd, investigators showed up at KinderCare.
During the search, a drug detection dog identified a backpack. Detectives said they found a clear baggie with white powder in it. They tested it, and it came back positive for cocaine.
Watson, an employee of KinderCare, admitted the bag was hers and told police she "uses cocaine socially, approximately two times a month".
Police said Watson denied knowledge of the baggie of cocaine being inside her backpack.
Watson also told police she didn't know how the one-year-old would've been exposed to the drug, but stated it was "possible that he was exposed to the cocaine from her," though she denies using the drug within that time period.
According to Hopson’s attorney, B’Ivory LaMarr, investigators disclosed there are no security cameras inside the KinderCare.
TMJ4 called KinderCare for an interview on Tuesday morning. A woman said someone would call back.
Records from the Department of Children and Families show this specific KinderCare has had almost two dozen violations in the last two years. Those violations include staff not being positioned to prevent harm to children and staff observing other staff being "aggressive with infants and toddlers and 'tossed' a child."
We tried calling KinderCare one more time Tuesday afternoon. When we asked about the state investigating the daycare, the employee hung up on us.
The Hopsons weren’t ready to talk about the situation. Wednesday, they're hosting a press conference with their attorney, who gave us the following statement:
“The egregious actions that occurred at KinderCare are utterly unacceptable. We are committed to thoroughly investigating this matter, seeking justice for Ms. Hopson and her son, and ensuring KinderCare is held responsible for the harm done to this innocent child."
In the Milwaukee area, there are 14 different KinderCare locations. Records show that, within the last three years, those locations have racked up more than 560 state violations.
Some are as minuscule as missing immunization records of a child or not having CPR training. However, others detail barricaded doorways and failing to report child abuse and neglect.
The press conference with Hopson and her attorney is Wednesday at 1 p.m. TMJ4 will be there.
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