A 36-year-old daycare worker is facing charges after Lexington County authorities say she lifted a child by the wrist, carried the child to a bathroom and threw the child to the floor, causing the child to hit their head and back. The woman, identified as Jenna Zifan Chapman, worked at a facility on Old Lexington Highway near Chapin, according to investigators.
The incident is alleged to have happened on October 26, according to a Lexington County Sheriff's Department arrest warrant that describes what occurred at the facility and the actions attributed to Chapman, as reported by WLTX. Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said Chapman “lifted a child by their wrist, carried them to the bathroom and threw them down, causing the child to hit their head and back,” according to ABC Columbia.
Investigators Say Another Employee Witnessed the Incident
Investigators said the incident was captured on video and witnessed by another employee at the facility, a detail Koon specifically highlighted in describing how the case came together. Deputies said the conduct put the child at what they described as an unreasonable risk of harm to the child's physical and mental health, per the same account.
Chapman was arrested Tuesday morning in Newberry County and charged with unlawful conduct towards a child, the report notes. She was subsequently taken to the Lexington County Detention Center, where she was later released after meeting the conditions of her bond.
What South Carolina Law Says About Unlawful Conduct Toward a Child
South Carolina's children's code outlines that it is unlawful for a person with charge or custody of a child, a parent or guardian, or someone responsible for a child's welfare to place that child at unreasonable risk of harm to the child's life or physical or mental health, according to the South Carolina Code of Laws, Title 63, Chapter 5. The statute language does not, on its own, establish the outcome of Chapman's case, and no court date, plea, or case status has been reported.
Chapman faces one count of unlawful conduct towards a child in connection with the allegations. The arrest stems directly from the sheriff's department investigation into the facility near Chapin, and no additional details about the child's condition or the facility's identity beyond its general location have been reported.
