LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – An arrest warrant issued for a Summerlin daycare teacher charged with child abuse/neglect reveals some of the specific behavior the suspect engaged in at Shenker Academy.
Eryka Westover, 33, was arrested on May 17 and booked into the Clark County Detention Center after a report was filed alleging her abuse of a student at the learning institute.
FOX5 obtained an exclusive video showing an incident while Westover was working at Shenker Academy. In the video, Westover appears to yell in a tightly-swaddled child’s face before slamming the child into a bed or cot face down. Then, Westover can be heard saying, “I just body-slammed you.”
Assistants at the school informed one of the parents about the child being body-slammed, and added that the suspect “had been slapping, hitting, and pinching children.”
One parent had a daughter at the school with a speech delay who had trouble communicating. At home, she began saying things such as “Don’t touch me,” “Don’t hit me,” and “Leave me alone.” She revealed that the suspect would pinch her for being a “bad listener” at school.
A letter from concerned parents to the school board noted that Westover’s behavior toward the children had been “outwardly aggressive” and “inappropriate.” The parents added that many of their children “repeatedly begged” not to go to school.
Further allegations in the letter included three-and-four-year old children being forced to run laps for “exhibiting completely age-appropriate behavior.” It also described bruises, welts, cuts and abrasions seen on children at the school.
Westover told police that prior to this school semester, she “has not had any problems with the school or with students and parents.” She added that she thought her current students were “more difficult” because they were born during COVID restrictions.
Westover has an appearance in Clark County Justice Court scheduled for June 24.
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