More Charges Filed In Middletown Daycare Assault Case

MIDDLETOWN, CT — Additional charges have been filed in the case of a toddler being "assaulted" at a Middletown Daycare facility.

On Aug. 22, a warrant was served to Onima Rodman, 32, who was charged with risk of injury to a minor and second-degree reckless endangerment.

On Friday, a warrant was served to 48-year-old Kristie Kovarcik, who was charged with three counts of second-degree reckless endangerment and and risk of injury to a minor.

The case dates back to Jan. 12, when the Middletown Police Special Investigations Unit received a complaint that a 2-year-old child was "assaulted" by a teacher at the Town & Country Early Learning Center on South Main Street, according to a previous news release.

Officials at the facility notified the child's family of the assault and allowed family members to watch surveillance video of the incident, police said. The family then came to police headquarters and requested that the teacher be arrested, according to a news release.

The teacher was later identified as Kovarcik, according to a news release.

During the investigation, detectives, via the surveillance video, confirmed that Kovarcik picked up the child and "tossed" the child to the side of her. The child's head struck a nearby wall, which led to a minor contusion above the right eye, according to a news release.

She and Rahman are accused of "mishandling" other 2-year-olds under their care, police said in an incident report.

The daycare's director heard a commotion, pulled up the surveillance camera for Kovarcik's room and witnessed the sequence, police said. The director then entered the room, removed the child and reported the incident to the parents and to the state Department of Children and Families, as required, according to a news release.

Both were dismissed from their jobs, according to case records.

In a warrant served on Feb. 26, Kavarcik was charged with risk of injury to a child and second-degree reckless endangerment.