Two Knightdale day care workers charged with assaulting child

Alexis Rose Mahan, 30, of 2121 Herbert Drive in Zebulon, was charged Tuesday with misdemeanor assault on a child under 12 in connection with an Aug. 15 incident at Knightdale Station Preschool.

Kara Ann DeSerio, 30, of 908 Silent Retreat in Knightdale, was arrested on the same charge on Wednesday.

Both women are no longer employed at the day care, police said.

"I am not talking," Mahan said Wednesday before hanging up the phone on a WRAL News reporter.

DeSerio denies any wrongdoing, according to her attorney, James Little.

"She is eagerly looking forward to figuring out what is going on here, why she was charged in the first place," Little said. "She's cooperating with law enforcement, [has] no record, has been in child care for an incredibly long time and, all of a sudden, she's charged with a crime that she doesn't understand."

Police Chief Lawrence Capps said his department began investigating Aug. 21 after the mother of a boy who recently turned 3 said her son reported a teacher pushed him down and threatened to hit him.

According to arrest warrants, Mahan is accused of "grabbing the child by the arms, picking them up and forcefully thrusting them to the ground," while DeSerio is accused of "grabbing the child from a prone position by the arms and holding them up by the arms for about three seconds in that position."

The boy wasn't hurt in the incident, police said.

"Those responsible for the care of our children hold a position of enormous trust. We expect them to render services compassionately and in accordance with the highest standards," Capps said in a statement. "I am confident that the administration and the employees of the daycare center will now work diligently to rebuild that trust."

Amanda Tripp, the owner of Knightdale Station Preschool, at 710 Lightrail Drive, declined to comment about the situation Wednesday.

Tripp's husband, Knightdale Assistant Town Manager Dustin Tripp, is a co-owner of the limited liability company that runs the day care. He couldn't be reached for comment.

The three-star facility has had 10 visits from state regulators since it opened in 2017, according to state Division of Child Development and Early Education records. Four minor violations were found during two of those visits, none of which involved the mistreatment of children. All of the deficiencies have been fixed, and the state has taken no action against the center, records show.

Warrant: Knightdale daycare worker twisted, fractured baby's leg

This is the second case of alleged child abuse at a Knightdale day care center in two weeks.

According to a warrant, Kimberly Sugg Boykin "willfully twisted the left femur" of a 6-month-old and "neglected to report abuse after several opportunities to do so." The child's leg was fractured as a result of the abuse, according to the warrant. State regulators took no action against the facility.