A
former day care worker in Wilton accused of causing “severe abusive head
trauma” to a 6-month-old boy pleaded not guilty Tuesday during her first court
appearance.
Amy
Tingets went before a judge in state Superior Court in Stamford on charges of
assault and risk of injury to a child.
The
boy was injured on Feb. 9 at the Goddard School in Wilton while under Tingets’
care. He had started going to Goddard for just a week before he was injured.
First
responders rushed to the school after a call about an infant who was
unresponsive after a nap. He was taken to the ICU at Norwalk Hospital, then
transferred to a specialized team certified in child abuse at Yale New Haven
Hospital.
In interviews with police, the boy's mother said several
doctors told her he'd "suffered from what appeared to be 'shaken baby
[syndrome]' after and during care."
Court
documents show he's still on multiple seizure medications, hasn't been hitting
pediatric milestones, and can only see shadows.
Tingets'
attorney told News 12, "Amy's heart goes out to the baby and his family,
and she's in no way responsible for the injuries."
But
Tingets' arrest warrant shows she had been the focus of a state investigation
into allegations of mistreating and being violent toward kids at her
previous job.
Children's
Day School in Greenwich fired Tingets for willful misconduct in July 2019,
something she lied about on her application to the Goddard School just days
later. Tingets claimed she was still working in Greenwich, something Goddard's
owner told police was never checked. Goddard says it's since enhanced its hiring process.
In
response to inquiries from News 12, Goddard's public relations director issued a statement:
“Our first priority, every day, is to ensure the safety
and well-being of the children in our care. We take matters like this very
seriously and we have been cooperating with the authorities reviewing this
incident.
The teacher involved was
immediately placed on leave and is no longer employed by the School. We are not
permitted to share employment history or personnel details.
We are fully compliant
with, and meticulously follow, the requirements established by the State of
Connecticut for childcare providers to screen potential employees. This
includes conducting and maintaining a thorough background check on each
employee prior to offering them employment. The pre-employment background check
on this employee came back clear. We were not aware nor made aware at any
time that this employee had been investigated by the state because of an
earlier incident while employed at another center.
We continue to require all
Goddard School new hires complete a child-sexual abuse-prevention course that
is conducted by a third-party provider. This is required for all staff members
annually. Working with our licensor, we have also enhanced our hiring process
beyond State requirements to include a minimum of two reference checks as well
as a reference check from a current employer. And, we are increasing the amount
of observations being conducted by the administrative team.
The Connecticut Office of
Early Childhood has completed its investigation and has closed its case
associated with this incident.”