Butler County day care worker accused of throwing infants
CENTER TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) -- A Butler County day care worker is facing charges after police said she threw infants on the ground multiple times over the course of two years.
According to court paperwork, police's investigation into Taylor Titley, who worked at Sheryl Buffington's Daycare & Preschool Palace in Center Township, began after a six-month-old boy sustained a fracture to his arm on June 13 and was taken to UPMC Children's Hospital.
Investigators said they talked to multiple former and current employees who said they saw Titley "throw" the infants onto the ground and sleeping mats. Investigators said one employee saw Titley throw the infants from about 3-4 feet in the air about 20 times.
One employee said Titley was "very strict" and would get irritated when the infants didn't follow her feeding and nap time schedule, the criminal complaint said. Another employee told police Titley would yell at the infants and aggressively grab them and drag them.
Another employee said they saw Titley use a flashlight to check one infant's pupils after throwing them because she thought they may have hit their head too hard.
Kara Kennedy said her son was allegedly physically abused by Titley.
"I want the day care shut down. I want her to spend the rest of her life in jail," Kennedy said.
Day care owner Sheryl Buffington said she was "dumbfounded" to learn of the accusations and even more surprised that some people think she knew about the alleged abuse and did nothing to stop it.
"I can assure you that had Mrs. Buffington been made aware of any of these allegations prior to this point, she would have taken action immediately. It wouldn't have been brushed under the rug and it wouldn't have been ignored," said her attorney Rebecca Black.
"I truly had no knowledge of this and that I want to get to the bottom of it and that I want children to be safe at all times," Buffington said.
Buffington says she's requiring all of her employees to take another mandated reporter class so they can be as up to date as possible on the laws and their duty to report.
Titley was charged with aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person.
