Two day care providers from Blaine are facing criminal charges following allegations of mistreatment captured on surveillance cameras.
The Blaine Police Department initiated an investigation after Minneapolis Children’s Hospital raised concerns about bruising on a 5-month-old infant’s thighs. Initially, day care staff suggested the bruising might have been caused by a swing. However, upon reviewing surveillance footage, authorities discovered disturbing behavior involving two employees: Elizabeth Wiemerslage, 23, from Coon Rapids, and Chloe Johnson, 31, from Blaine.
According to police reports, the footage revealed Wiemerslage and Johnson handling the injured infant and two others in a rough manner. Johnson was observed gripping the first child by her thighs, hips, and groin, forcefully flipping her onto her back and face, with Wiemerslage present.
Further footage depicted Johnson handling a second child, placing a cloth over their mouth and nose, pulling them by the arm, and aggressively feeding them with a bottle. Wiemerslage was seen slamming this child onto a pillow and later thrusting a third child onto a changing table.
The infant whose bruises sparked the investigation was found to have injuries in nine different areas, consistent with gripping or squeezing, according to a criminal complaint. Medical examinations of the other children revealed one had an old leg fracture, possibly sustained two weeks earlier.
Johnson and Wiemerslage now face multiple charges, including felony and misdemeanor counts of malicious punishment of a child and third-degree assault of a victim under 4 years old. Both have been taken into custody at Anoka County Jail and were released on bail set at $75,000.
