No charges in Indiana day care attack that hurt 1-year-old

INDIANAPOLIS – An attack at an Indianapolis day care centre that left a 1-year-old boy with a scratched and swollen face appears to have been carried out by another child and criminal charges aren’t warranted, a prosecutor said Thursday.

Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry said in a news release that a medical expert confirmed that the injuries inflicted on the boy April 30 at the Kiddiegarden day care appear to have been inflicted by another young child.

“The child was reportedly placed in a safe sleeping environment in the same room as an age appropriate child and checked on by the employee periodically,” Curry said. “The daycare employee who was responsible for the child’s care has co-operated in the investigation.”

The day care’s owner, Haben Ghebremichael, has told The Associated Press that a 2-year-old girl attacked the boy, Jesse Griffin, and that she had blood on her hands afterward. Ghebremichael said a day care worker separated the two children after the boy was injured.

The boy’s mother, Tiffany Griffin, said her son was hospitalized for the injuries.

His father, Jesse Harris, issued a blistering statement vowing to get justice for his son.

“Welcome to America, where a 1-year-old baby can be beat, and no one is held accountable,” Harris wrote.

Days after the attack, the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration ordered Kiddiegarden to cease operations immediately.

Curry said the Indiana Department of Child Services is investigating the attack.