A Minneapolis day-care worker faces felony charges after prosecutors say she assaulted a 19-month-old girl in her care, leaving the toddler with seizures and partial paralysis nearly a year after the attack.
Teiwana Wilson told detectives that she had fallen while carrying the child, whom she watched overnight last March, according to charges filed in Hennepin County District Court. But doctors concluded that the child's injuries were inconsistent with such a scenario, writing that they were "extremely concerning for child abuse."
An arrest warrant was issued Monday charging her with first-degree assault, endangering a child and child neglect. She had not been arrested late Monday.
Prosecutors said they intend to seek a stiffer sentence due to, among other factors, "the particular vulnerability" of the victim.
The criminal complaint detailed a list of medical problems for which the girl continues to be treated, including: hemiplegia, a paralysis affecting the right side of her body; "altered awareness"; and decreased facial movements, which have left her with an "asymmetric smile." She also has suffered multiple seizures and isn't getting enough oxygen to the brain, the complaint said.
"It appears that her ultimate prognosis is hopeful, but unknown," the complaint read.
The child's mother had dropped her off at the day care on March 5, and the child remained in Wilson's care overnight because of a snowstorm, according to the complaint.
But the woman told police she immediately sensed something was wrong when she picked up her daughter. The toddler's hands were covered with puncture wounds, which doctors later said appeared to have been made by a fork, and she had handprint bruises on her arm and "linear bruising" to both sides of her face, according to the complaint. When she confronted Wilson, the day care worker claimed that the injuries were the result of a fall and suggested a dose of Tylenol, the complaint said.
