Eryka Westover : Daycare Teacher Body-Slams 3-Year-Old: Police Investigation

Eryka Westover allegedly body-slammed a 3-year-old (KVVU/YouTube screenshot) and mug shot (LVMPD)

A Shocking Case of Child Abuse in a Nevada Day Care Centre

A 33-year-old day care teacher in Nevada has been arrested following multiple allegations of physically abusing young children in her care, including one disturbing incident where she allegedly “body-slammed” a swaddled 3-year-old. Eryka Westover was taken into custody last week and charged with felony child abuse or neglect, authorities announced.

According to a news release from the Las Vegas Metro Police Department, a concerned parent reported on April 1 that her child was being mistreated by a teacher at a learning institute on Hillpointe Road in Las Vegas. Detectives from the department’s Abuse and Neglect Detail launched an investigation into the allegations.

After conducting a preliminary inquiry, detectives arrested Westover on Friday on suspicion of child abuse.

The day care where Westover was employed was identified as Shenker Academy in Las Vegas’ Summerlin community. The institute is known as the largest preschool in Las Vegas, with a focus on excellence and creativity, as stated on its Facebook page.

Video footage obtained by Las Vegas Fox affiliate KVVU appears to show Westover aggressively handling a tightly-swaddled 3-year-old, whom she then pushes facedown onto a cot. Although the footage lacks audio, Westover can be seen reportedly saying, “Yes, I just body-slammed you,” to the child immediately after.

Following the incident, the same teaching assistant disclosed to the parent that they had witnessed Westover “slapping, hitting, and pinching children.”

The parent of the child who was allegedly body-slammed claimed that Westover had been pinching her daughter because she perceived the child as a “bad listener.” The parent explained that her daughter had difficulty communicating due to a speech delay.

One of the teaching assistants informed the police that Westover would target students she considered more challenging than the rest of the class.

One such incident involved a 3-year-old boy who disliked being sprayed with water during “water play,” as reported by KLAS. When the class was outside, Westover allegedly grabbed the hose and sprayed the boy until he fell to the ground in tears. Westover also reportedly targeted the same boy by throwing kickballs at him, and when he got hurt, she allegedly remarked, “He deserved it” and “That’s what you get.”

During a police interview, Westover claimed she had never encountered any issues with students at school until this year, attributing the difficulties to the fact that her latest students were born during COVID-19 restrictions, as per KVVU.

Shenker Academy issued a statement to KVVU indicating that Westover had been relieved of her duties and that the day care would fully cooperate with authorities.

“The teacher was placed on administrative leave immediately after the board was informed of these allegations and her employment has been terminated,” the institute stated. “The safety and well-being of our students are our top priorities.”

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