A trial date has been set in the case against Deshayla Day, the former First Baptist Church Daycare employee who is charged with first-degree criminal abuse.
Graves County Commonwealth’s Attorney Richie Kemp is the special prosecutor in this case and confirmed to the judge in Christian Circuit Court Wednesday morning that he is still available to prosecute, as the conflict of interest does remain in the local office.
Day is represented by defense attorney Jason Holland, who informed the court they were ready to set a trial date—so Judge John Atkins set trial to begin on May 20, 2024.
A final pretrial conference was set for May 1.
Day is accused of lifting a 16-month-old child by one arm from a classroom to the hallway and ‘firmly grabbed the child by the face’ during an incident earlier last year that was captured on video surveillance.
The child was later taken to Jennie Stuart Medical Center to be treated and evaluated for visible injuries, according to testimony from a Hopkinsville Police Department detective at a prior hearing.