3 arrested in child care center abuse probe after child’s leg broken, authorities say

LEXINGTON, S.C. (WIS/Gray News) - Three women have been arrested in connection to a child abuse case at a Lexington child care center, according to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.

WIS reported that Shayna Nicole McKnight, 36, is charged with infliction of great bodily harm upon a child. Amy Marie Grice, 38, and Jeannie H. Locklear, 49, are charged with obstructing justice, according to warrants.

Sheriff Jay Koon said the case started a month ago with a call from the child’s mother from Windsor Academy in Lexington. The daycare told the mother of the child that their leg was hurt in the railing of a crib.

Doctors determined that the child’s leg was broken.

Detectives asked to review the video from inside Windsor Academy. Grice and Locklear told deputies that the camera system wasn’t working when the child was injured.

Eventually, detectives determined that the women had taken steps to delete the video after they watched it. However, Koon said that detectives were able to recover the video.

The video allegedly shows McKnight forcefully folding the child’s leg under their body and flipping them into the crib while still holding their left leg.

“Based on detectives’ review of the video, the child was crawling and playing without any visible pain before the incident, then crying and unable to put weight on the left after the incident,” Koon said.

On Friday morning, McKnight, Grice and Locklear were arrested. They are being held in the Lexington County Detention Center.

The South Carolina Department of Social Services is assisting the sheriff’s department in the investigation.