Sapulpa Daycare Worker Charged With Child Abuse After 2-Month-Old's Arm Broken

The parents of a two-month-old are outraged after a Sapulpa daycare worker was caught on camera picking up their baby by the arm.

Investigators said the baby’s arm was broken in two places and the employee has been charged with child abuse.

An affidavit said Helen Collins admitted to lifting the baby up by the arm even though she knew not to do so. Since Collins is Native American, she has been charged with felony child abuse in Muscogee Creek Nation District Court.

Edward Lindsey is representing Cody and Lauren Storer, the parents of the baby. He said the baby was dropped off in November at New Adventures Learning Center in Sapulpa.

When it was time for the baby to be picked up, the Storer’s noticed something was wrong.

“The child was hurt in the morning hours and they were never notified,” said Lindsey. “[They] discovered it when they picked the child up in the afternoon.”

Investigators said Helen Collins, an employee at the daycare, was caught on camera picking the two-month-old up by the arm around 9:30 in the morning.

An affidavit said the baby’s arm appeared to go behind him, which caused him to cry.

The report said Collins tried to massage the baby’s arm, which also made him cry.

Edwards said the parents took their baby to the hospital, where doctors discovered his arm was broken in two places. The Storer’s then called Sapulpa Police, the agency that started the investigation.

An affidavit said Collins told Sapulpa officers another baby fell on the Storer’s child, but investigators discovered that wasn’t true when they watched the surveillance video.

Collins was interviewed by investigators, telling them she had proper training on how to pick a baby up.

Despite that training, the report said Collins admitted to lifting the Storers’ child up incorrectly despite knowing better.

In addition to the criminal charge, the family is pursuing a civil suit against Collins and the daycare.

“They didn’t seek medical care. They didn’t get the child any relief from the pain,” said Lindsey. “The child was very upset, agitated and hurt when my clients picked the child up that evening.”

The owner of the daycare released this statement to News On 6: “I would like to say that we don’t under any circumstances condone or allow abuse. All staff must pass a background that the state provides and approves if passed and in this case it was. We have cameras that run 24/7 and that have been provided to law enforcement. We have been 100% cooperative and will continue as safety is our number one priority. The employee in question is no longer employed at this facility.”