A Maiden preschool teacher charged with assaulting 16 children sprayed some victims in the face with soapy water, court documents say.
Two women were charged by the Maiden Police Department in an investigation into reported child abuse at the Maiden Rosenwald Preschool Academy.
Dobbs
Cheryl Ikerd Dobbs, 46, of Maiden, is charged with 15 counts of assault on a child under the age of 12 and four counts of misdemeanor child abuse. Dobbs was arrested on April 10, according to court documents.
Williams
Daisha Samone Williams, 34, is charged with one count of misdemeanor child abuse, one count of misdemeanor assault on a child under 12 and one count of failure to report crimes against juveniles. Williams was arrested Friday, Maiden police said in a news release.
What court documents say
Court documents detailed the reported abuse. Maiden police said they combed through hundreds of hours of surveillance footage from inside the classroom where Dobbs worked with 2- and 3-year-olds.
Using the camera footage, Maiden police identified 16 victims.
Maiden police said Williams was also a teacher in the same classroom. The abuse was initially reported on March 31. Maiden police searched the preschool on April 1. Investigators seized security footage and employee records.
Maiden Police Chief Tyler Whisenant said both women were removed from student contact during the investigation.
Maiden Rosenwald Preschool Academy is located at 510 Potts St. in Maiden.
Sarah C. Johnson, Record
Dobbs is accused of using a spray bottle with a mixture of soap and water to spray at least two 3-year-olds in the eyes, according to court documents.
Authorities also investigated multiple instances of students being spanked and pulled by their arms.
Court documents said Dobbs repeatedly smacked the hand of a 2-year-old child, then picked the child up by their arms and sat the child on the ground, causing the child to cry. According to court documents, Dobbs told a 2-year-old child to hit and push another child at the preschool.
During a single day, a 3-year-old child was spanked eight times and hit once on the hand by Dobbs, according to court documents.
Court documents said Dobbs slapped a child on the leg and pulled the child with their arm.
Williams’ court file was not available on Monday.
Maiden Rosenwald Preschool Academy did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Dobbs and Williams are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Sarah Johnson is the courts and breaking news reporter for the Hickory Daily Record.
