CLAXTON, Ga. — Two employees at an elementary school were arrested in connection with a child abuse investigation, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
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The investigation began on Oct. 13, when the Claxton Police Department received an anonymous tip that a Pre-K teacher, Tanesha E. Herrington, 47, of Claxton, was abusing students in her classroom.
The GBI said security camera footage from Herrington’s classroom reportedly shows her engaging in multiple abusive acts, including hitting two students repeatedly in the face, grabbing a student by the throat, forcefully lifting students by the arms while they were lying on the floor asleep, slapping a student on the arm and then pushing the student, and throwing a bookbag at a student who was seated on the ground.
According to officials, the videos include incidents from both the current and previous academic years.
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Anne Dutton, 37, of Glennville, who served as Herrington’s paraprofessional, was present during several incidents captured on video but did not report the abuse as required by law, the GBI said.
Herrington has been charged with eight counts of cruelty to children in the first degree, and Dutton has been charged with one count of failure to report child abuse
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The GBI is continuing to review a substantial amount of video footage, which may reveal additional victims and lead to further charges.
Authorities urge anyone with information to contact the Claxton Police Department or the GBI’s Regional Investigative Office in Statesboro.
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