Child Abuse Charges For Chesterbrook Academy Employee: Police

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — Child abuse charges have been filed against a woman who worked at the Chesterbrook Academy Brambleton in Ashburn, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday.

The woman, Martha Moreno de Medrano, had been an employee of the preschool since 2015, authorities said.

Moreno de Medrano, a Leesburg resident, worked at the Chesterbrook Academy on Cotton Grass Way in Ashburn. She was arrested on Wednesday after the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office's Special Victims Unit concluded their investigation into a report of child abuse at the preschool.

The sheriff's office first responded to the preschool on Aug. 3. In a report, the sheriff's office said that, "a third-party complainant observed possible concerning behavior involving an employee with an infant."

In their report, authorities said the incident occurred sometime between July 28 and Aug. 3. The sheriff's office did not provide exact details regarding the nature of the reported abuse.

On Wednesday, Moreno de Medrano was charged with one count of felony cruelty and injuries to children. She is being held without bond at the Loudoun Adult Detention Center. If found guilty, Moreno de Medrano could face up to five years in prison.

Chesterbrook Academy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

There is a hotline available to help prevent child abuse. The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline is available 24 hours a day to provide crisis intervention, information, and referrals to thousands of emergency, social service, and support resources. The hotline can be reached at 1-800-422-4453.