A 29-year-old woman is facing misdemeanor charges after she allegedly threatened to shoot up a Delhi Township daycare that cares for children as young as six weeks old. Jydan Rankin was arrested on Saturday and booked into the Hamilton County Justice Center on charges of inducing panic and aggravated menacing, according to police.
Delhi Township police allege the threat occurred the day before Rankin's arrest, on Friday, at Delhi KinderCare, located at 921 Anderson Ferry Road, according to WXIX. Per an affidavit cited by the station, Rankin said she was going to “shoot up the school,” causing alarm and the threat of physical harm. The daycare serves newborns starting at six weeks old through children ages 5 to 6, the station reports.
Rankin was scheduled to appear in court in Hamilton County at 9 a.m. Monday, per the same report. Booking records reviewed independently confirm Rankin remains held at the Hamilton County Justice Center following the incident.
What the Charges Actually Mean
Both charges against Rankin are first-degree misdemeanors under Ohio law. Inducing panic, under Ohio Revised Code Section 2917.31, carries a penalty of up to 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000 when no physical harm or elevated economic loss results, though the charge can escalate to a felony if an active threat causes a widespread evacuation of an educational facility.
Aggravated menacing, defined under Ohio Revised Code Section 2903.21, applies when a person knowingly causes another to believe the offender will cause serious physical harm to them, their family, or their property. That charge also carries up to 180 days in jail as a first-degree misdemeanor, and it hinges on the victim's reasonable belief of impending harm rather than proof of an actual physical injury.
Where the Daycare Sits and Who Runs It
Delhi KinderCare operates out of a 4,950-square-foot facility in Delhi Township, a home-rule suburban community west of downtown Cincinnati with roughly 29,800 residents that maintains its own municipal police and fire departments. The center is part of KinderCare Learning Companies, Inc., a Lake Oswego, Oregon-based provider that operates more than 1,500 early childhood education centers nationwide with combined capacity for more than 200,000 children. KinderCare went public on the NYSE in October 2024.
It remains unclear what relationship, if any, Rankin had with Delhi KinderCare, including whether she was a parent, a former employee, or someone with no prior connection to the center. Fox19 has not reported additional detail on that question, and it has not been resolved elsewhere in available reporting.
State Rules Require Rapid Reporting and Drills
Ohio licensing rules require child care operators to submit a serious incident report through the state's online OCLQS portal by the next business day following any threat of violence or law enforcement intervention on-site, according to guidance from the Ohio Department of Children and Youth. Separately, state administrative rules mandate that licensed centers run emergency lockdown drills every quarter and post local emergency contacts in every classroom, covering scenarios that include active-shooter protocols and severe weather.
Delhi Township Police have previously worked directly with area early childhood centers, including past summer visits to introduce children to emergency equipment, and the department has invested in license plate recognition technology and updated investigative tools to support rapid response across its roughly ten-square-mile jurisdiction.
The case adds to a string of recent incidents at Cincinnati-area child care facilities. Hoodline previously reported on an SUV crashing into a West Chester daycare in August, part of a broader pattern of emergency responses and state inspection scrutiny at facilities in the region.
