There is a new trial date and special prosecutor in the case against four women charged in connection with alleged child abuse at the First United Methodist Church Daycare.
Butler County Commonwealth’s Attorney Blake Chambers has been appointed by the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office to replace Rick Boling in prosecuting the case against former day care director Abby Leach, former pastor Paige Williams and former day care employees Allison Simpson and Nina Morgan.
Chambers says after reviewing the case file and speaking to the families of the eight alleged victims, he believes November is too soon to go to trial.
He says a resolution may be able to be worked out in the next six months with a postponement.
Circuit Judge John Atkins agreed to reschedule trial for February 14 and made the original November 15 trial date a pre-trial conference.
Superseding indictments for eight counts each of complicity to criminal child abuse against children under the age 12 were returned in April against Williams and Leach.
The indictments allege they “breached their legal duty to protect the minor children by failing to prevent Simpson and Morgan from intentionally abusing children. In each count, the victim is described as being under the age of 13 months old.
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.
Morgan is indicted for two counts of criminal child abuse.
Abby Leach
Nina Morgan
Paige Williams