The Kentucky Court of Appeals has issued a ruling that the judgement against former First United Methodist Church Pastor Paige Williams—where she was found guilty of eight counts of third-degree criminal abuse—will be reversed.
In the ruling issued last week, the Court of Appeals reversed the conviction, contending that Williams did not have “actual custody” of any of the children involved in the case that began in 2019. It states that Williams never had direct care of control over the children in the First United Methodist Church Daycare program, did not work within the daycare and was not involved in the care of the children on a daily basis.
The Court says this means Williams never had actual custody of the abused children, and therefore reversed her conviction, clearing her of the charges. The ruling also states that the Court is of the opinion that Williams was entitled to a directed verdict for acquittal at trial, due to the “uncontroverted evidence demonstrated that Williams did not have actual custody of the children in the daycare”.
Williams was convicted on those charges in June of 2023.
At a trial in 2022, former daycare worker Allison Simpson was found guilty of 12 counts of third-degree criminal child abuse, which are misdemeanors, and the jury chose a sentence of six-months in prison on each of those counts. Nina Morgan was convicted of one count of criminal abuse in the third-degree, a misdemeanor.
Former Daycare Director Abby Leach was found guilty of six counts of criminal abuse in the 2nd degree and two counts of criminal abuse in the 3rd degree.