She hid 26 children in the basement of her kindergarten behind a fake wall

A kindergarten owner in Colorado was sentenced to six years in prison after hiding 26 children in her basement while she was on leave to care for just six, with some of the children still suffering from mental trauma who suffered.

When police arrived at Carla Marie Faith’s Mountain Play Place in Colorado Springs in November 2019, they discovered a staircase that ended in the basement and was hidden behind a sliding false wall.

Carla Marie Faith was licensed to care for just six children, but had more than quadrupled. Twelve of them were under two years old, despite the fact that Faith said she could only care for two children in this age group.

According to the police officers who made the shocking discovery of the children, some of whom were sweaty, had dirty diapers and were thirsty, taking care of only two adults. The 26th child was picked up by a parent while the police were at kindergarten.

Conviction for child abuse

The head of the kindergarten was sentenced to six years in prison on 26 counts of child misconduct and one count of attempting to influence a civil servant and obstructing an officer.

“What you did was wrong on many levels. This was not an accident. “This was not the result of an instant lack of judgment. He made a series of choices that endangered the safety and well-being of 26 children,” Fourth Circuit Judge Gregory Werner said on Thursday.

The chief prosecutor played a 48-minute video of the court with statements from parents and professionals. One parent cried as she described the impact of what happened at the nursery to her daughter: “She became more aggressive, hitting; pulling her hair.”

Another parent said both of her children were still receiving counseling. “We sleep with the lights on in our house,” he said. “My children are worried. “They are afraid of the people.”

Child psychiatry professor Dr. Steven Berkovic said that “such experiences that these children have had in this kindergarten can have long-term effects”.

He added that children are at high risk for emotional, psychiatric and medical problems.

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