Stutsman County (trfnews.i234.me) – Two women who operated a Jamestown daycare now face felony child abuse charges after an investigation revealed physical abuse and the illegal use of melatonin to make children sleep. Both women are scheduled to appear in Stutsman County District Court on December 3.
Karen Lynn Schempp, 41, and Kaylee Lynn Cumber, 33, each face felony counts of child neglect or abuse. The case centers on incidents at Lil’ Explorer’s Daycare in Jamestown.
Investigation Begins With Hospital Visit
The case started on April 22 when Schempp brought her 8-year-old daughter to Jamestown Regional Medical Center with a head injury. She told the staff an employee had pulled the child to the ground. This led to an investigation by authorities.
On April 25, police obtained a search warrant for the daycare’s video system. The footage revealed several incidents of physical abuse, according to court records.
Video Shows Children Slapped, Dragged
Video from April 17 shows Cumber dragging a 4-year-old boy by the arm from a play area to the kitchen. As she passed through the dining room, she slapped the boy in the face. The sound was loud enough to be heard in the video. The child fell to the floor and cried.
Schempp was in the kitchen looking at her phone. She glanced up but did not react.
In other footage, investigators saw Cumber forcefully remove food from a child’s mouth on two occasions. On April 24, the video also showed her slapping the same child in the mouth.
Hidden Melatonin Found
During the inspection, investigators found melatonin hidden in the daycare bathroom and kitchen. A 6-year-old child told investigators, “Ms. Kay gives us treats after lunch,” while pointing to a bottle of ZzzQuil melatonin gummies.
A second bottle of melatonin tablets was found in a kitchen drawer.
A former employee reported that Schempp gave children melatonin after lunch to make them sleep. The same employee said Schempp hit a child in the mouth and later lied to the parents about how it happened.
Admissions and Denials
Schempp admitted to slapping her own daughter but denied hitting other children. She said she gave melatonin only to her daughter. She also admitted to leaving children alone at times while talking with staff.
Cumber said she was “rough” when seating children, but denied slamming them or force-feeding them.
Daycare Closed, Licenses Revoked
The North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services had already started the license revocation process before the April 25 visit. During the inspection, Schempp surrendered the daycare license. Parents picked up all children, and the daycare closed the same day.
Buffalo Bridges Human Service Zone completed its review on July 11. Both women were found responsible for neglect due to failing to protect children. They will remain on the North Dakota Child Abuse and Neglect Index for three years. More information on child protection rules can be found at the North Dakota DHS website.
Schempp and Cumber have been issued court summons and are not in custody.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.
