Earlier this month, a video went viral of a Mississippi daycare worker scaring kids in a classroom while wearing what appears to be a mask of Ghostface, the knife-wielding villain from the Scream film franchise. Now, after all being fired from the daycare, five former employees are facing child abuse charges for the incident.
WTVA reports that Sierra McCandless, Oci-Anna Kilburn, Jennifer Newman, and Shyenne Shelton each face three counts of felony child abuse, and Traci Hutson faces failure to report abuse and simple assault against a minor, both misdemeanors. The charges follow investigations by the Mississippi State Department of Health and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
In the viral clip, which you can watch here, an unidentified daycare worker is seen wearing the Ghostface mask while chasing and verbally harassing toddler-aged students, sometimes just inches away from their face. Another employee can be heard indicating to the masked employee which students have been “good” or “bad,” as the students cry and scream throughout the clip. (It’s not a fun watch.)
The daycare owner, Sheila Sanders, said she wasn’t aware of the incident until the video went viral. “I contacted my licensure, and she has gotten involved,” Sanders added. “The people that did those acts are no longer with us. They were fired. I wasn’t here at the time and wasn’t aware they were doing that. I don’t condone that and never have. I just want to say it’s been taken care of.”
