Several motions were heard in the First United Methodist Church daycare child abuse case in Christian Circuit Court Monday afternoon.
Special prosecutor Blake Chambers entered a motion for intent to amend the indictments against former pastor Paige Williams and former daycare director Abby Leach and defense attorney David Bundrick explained the amendments, saying he had no objection.
Defense attorney Bill Deatherage did object to the changes, saying the amendment would change the crime they’re charged with completely—Judge John Atkins ultimately ruled in favor of the Commonwealth, granting the amendments.
Leach and Williams were previously charged with eight counts each of complicity to child abuse–the amendment ups those charges to first degree criminal child abuse. Attorneys also objected to new evidence—witness testimonies—being admissible in trial. The statements would detail alleged events that happened before the incidents that resulted indictment against the four suspects.
They say those events have nothing to do with the matter at hand, but Chambers contends that the statements are very relevant to the case.
Judge Atkins ruled those statements were admissible at trial.
Indictments against Leach and Williams allege they “breached their legal duty to protect the minor children by failing to prevent former daycare workers Allision Simpson and Nina Morgan from intentionally abusing children.” In each count, the victim is described as being under the age of 13 months old.
Alison 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.
Nina Morgan is indicted for two counts of criminal child abuse.
Trial is scheduled for June 13 and another pretrial conference was set for May 3, with more motions expected to be filed.