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Former day-care worker sentenced to jail Former daycare worker convicted of assault and child abuse

Winston-Salem Journal - 5/4/2017

A former day-care teacher was sent to the Forsyth County Jail for two months after getting convicted on charges that she struck a 5-year-old boy, taunted the child by calling him "baby," and allowed another day-care student to kick the boy.

Jacinta Antoinetta Gladden, 34, of Old Vineyard Road pleaded guilty Wednesday in Forsyth Superior Court to two counts of misdemeanor child abuse and one count of assaulting a child under the age of 12. As part of a plea arrangement, Assistant District Attorney Pansy Glanton voluntarily dismissed all the felony charges against Gladden - negligent child abuse inflicting serious physical injury and intentional child abuse inflicting serious injury.

Judge Susan Bray of Forsyth Superior Court consolidated one of the misdemeanor child-abuse charges and the assault charge into one count and sentenced Gladden to 60 days in the Forsyth County Jail. She also gave Gladden a suspended sentence of 60 days in jail on the remaining count of misdemeanor child abuse and placed her on 18 months of supervised probation. Bray ordered Gladden not to hold another job in child care and to follow her probation officer's recommendations on counseling and other treatment.

Gladden is accused of assaulting Carter Accattato on the afternoon of June 17, 2015 at Sugar and Spice Child Development Center at 1414 Union Cross Road, Glanton said in court.

Carter had acted up earlier in the day and day-care officials had called his father, Paul Accattato, Glanton said. Carter went into Gladden's classroom and Gladden was attempting to discipline him because Carter was still upset.

Glanton said Gladden held Carter by the shoulders and arms and placed him on a bookshelf. She told one of the other students to kick Carter, who hit the student in response, Glanton said. At some point, about 10 other students surrounded Carter and Gladden had the children taunt Carter by calling him "baby" over and over.

Glanton said Carter had cuts and bruises on his body after the incident.

Soon after the incident, Carter's parents, Paul Accattato and Angel Broughton, filed a lawsuit in Forsyth Superior Court against Gladden and Sugar and Spice Child Development Center, saying that the incident traumatized Carter and caused severe emotional distress. The lawsuit said that Sugar and Spice officials were negligent in hiring and supervising Gladden and that they failed to conduct proper background checks on her. The lawsuit also said the day care failed to fire Gladden after Carter's parents complained about her several months before the incident.

The lawsuit has since been settled. Judge Lindsay Davis of Forsyth Superior Court approved a settlement of $35,000 for Carter after a hearing on the case on April 17.

Jason Whitler, Gladden's attorney, said Gladden has a clean criminal record and she has never been accused of assaulting anyone, adult or child.

"This is not someone who was mean-spirited," he said. "This is someone who lost her temper that day."

Glanton disagreed. She pointed to videotaped recording of the incident and said that Gladden didn't appear angry.

"It doesn't show anger by the teacher," she said. "It shows a teacher out of control."

An assistant teacher, Juneaice Nichole Neely (she has said her married name is Downing) was charged with negligent child abuse inflicting serious physical injury and misdemeanor child abuse that stemmed from the June 17, 2015, incident. She was in Gladden's classroom. A Forsyth County jury acquitted her of the charges last year after a trial.

Glanton said Sugar and Spice Child Development Center has closed. According to documents from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, the day-care center had had previous allegations of child abuse and neglect.

mhewlett@wsjournal.com 336-727-7326 @mhewlettWSJ