COWETA COUNTY, Ga. — The parents of a 3-year-old who was slammed down onto a cot earlier this year have filed a lawsuit against the Coweta County daycare and the worker involved.
Samantha Hertzog, 33, was arrested in March after the alleged assault was caught on surveillance cameras at Big Blue Marble Academy in Sharpsburg. She was charged with cruelty to children.
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In a short surveillance clip, you can see a teacher, identified as Hertzog, walk to the back of the classroom. At one point, deputies say she kicked a 3-year-old’s cot before she picked up the toddler and “forcefully slam” them back onto the cot.
According to the lawsuit, the child’s parents say she had a cut on her nose as well as swelling and bruising on her nose and eye. They say she was also clinically diagnosed with PTSD.
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The lawsuit claims the daycare was negligent in hiring Hertzog because of a previous assault arrest that led to her then-husband getting a restraining order against her.
They say another employee at the daycare told the director that Hertzog was “aggressive and mean with the kids.”
It also details another alleged incident in which Hertzog allegedly “grabbed and scratched” a child because he was not a “good listener” just a month before.
The lawsuit is calling for a jury trial and up to $250,000 in damages.
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