File photo
Proceedings were continued Thursday in Christian Circuit Court in the case against the four suspects charged in connection with alleged child abuse at the First United Methodist Church daycare.
Negotiations for possible resolutions continue for some of the suspects, while one offer was rejected and another still needs to consider a current offer, according to Commonwealth’s Attorney Rick Boling.
Boling also informed the court that when the grand jury meets on April 23, he intends to present to them the option of a superseding indictment against two of the suspects—former Pastor Paige Williams and former daycare director Abby Leach—to determine if they could face additional charges in the case.
Circuit Judge John Atkins agreed to the continuance, saying depending on if any plea deals are accepted will help determine if the four suspects will be tried at the same time.
Both Williams and Leach are currently charged with complicity to child abuse, while former day care worker Allison Simpson is indicted on 30 counts of criminal child abuse. All 30 counts are alleged to have happened between December 19 of 2018 and January 18 of 2019. Eleven of the counts are against the same infant and a total of eight children are listed as victims in all of the allegations.
All of the counts allege Simpson placed the victims “in a situation that may cause serious physical injury, causing torture, cruel confinement or cruel punishment.”
A fourth suspect, former daycare worker Nina Morgan, is charged with two-counts of criminal child abuse.