An 18-year-old worker at a Boise daycare center is facing four felony counts of injury to a child after police say an infant in her care was hurt late last month. Maria “Mia” Ackerman was arrested on October 29 and booked into the Ada County Jail, following a referral that Boise police received just two days earlier about an injury reported at New Horizon Academy on Boise Avenue.
According to the City of Boise, Special Victims Unit detectives received the referral on October 27 concerning an injury to a child. Police say the reported incident actually occurred the day before, on October 26, at New Horizon Academy, located at 155 E Boise Ave. The News Radio 1310 KLIX report on the case notes Ackerman had worked at the facility for a little over six months before her arrest.
Police said Ackerman was sent home from the daycare on October 26 and was not allowed to return. The city’s statement describes the injured child only as an infant who received non-life-threatening injuries, though investigators said evidence indicated her actions toward that child, along with three additional infants at the center, could have caused great bodily harm or death.
A Doctor’s Account Paints a Starker Picture
Later court reporting offered a different description of the harm involved. The Idaho Statesman reported that a doctor described a five-month-old as appearing to have a fractured rib, a tibia fracture, and brain injuries attributed to oxygen deprivation. That account differs from the non-life-threatening description police gave, and the dossier underlying this report does not reconcile the two versions — both are presented here as they were attributed by their respective sources.
Court reporting also details one specific allegation in the criminal complaint: that Ackerman left a child unsecured on a changing table on October 21, and the child fell. Yahoo News, drawing on that reporting, says Ackerman is charged with four counts of felony injury to a child.
Investigation Into Other Children Continues
Boise police said they are conducting a thorough investigation to determine whether any other children at the facility were harmed. That question remains open, and police have not said whether the inquiry has identified additional victims beyond the four infants discussed in the case so far.
Court reporting has also referenced a bail-reduction request on Ackerman’s behalf, with the requested amount called excessive, though no primary court record detailing her current case status, plea, or scheduling was available for this report. As with any pending criminal case, Ackerman is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
