Gary daycare shut down after teacher charged with child neglect, battery

GARY, Ind. (WLS) -- A Gary daycare has been shut down by Indiana officials after a teacher there was charged with child neglect and battery of a minor.

The video in this story is from a previous report

The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration said in a statement Wednesday, "The Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning and has taken swift action, issuing an emergency closure order for this child care ministry effective immediately and remaining in place until further notice as the health and safety of all children is our highest priority. As law enforcement continues its work, our focus remains on supporting affected families. To ensure they receive the assistance they need, we have staff on-site to help families secure alternative childcare and access critical resources as they navigate this difficult time."

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Officials said Laniecia Smith, 31, is charged with multiple felony counts of child neglect and battery of a minor for incidents that allegedly occurred at Future Leaders Childcare Ministries in the 1000-block of Roosevelt Avenue in Gary.

Police say Smith, on several occasions, was seen grabbing and hitting 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds while she was on video calls with an inmate at the Porter County Jail. Those communications last month were recorded and reviewed by jail officials.

In court papers, authorities say Smith was "repeatedly seen vaping within feet of the children" and "spending more time on video chats than actually instructing or supervising the children."

In one call, Smith allegedly hit a child, who has autism, with a broom.

In other calls, she was seen allegedly grabbing a child by the ear and smacking another in the head.

And on multiple occasions, Smith was allegedly seen driving with several unrestrained children in the backseat while video chatting and texting.

In the recordings, authorities said, Smith repeatedly called the kids "ugly" and "stupid" during expletive-laden tirades. And in one call, an unknown male at the daycare was allegedly seen dragging a child by the ankle while Smith was heard laughing.