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Claudia J. Smith-Heard, 51, of Millville, was accused of aggressive behavior to get a 4-year-old boy to take a nap on his first day of child care at Golden Gate center on Nov. 1, 2021, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed by Vineland police.
A jury found Smith-Heard not guilty on all counts on Wednesday, Feb. 21 after a trial, according to Crystal Harris, criminal division manager.
Smith-Heard had been charged on a summons with simple assault and child endangerment, and was indicted by a Cumberland County grand jury in 2022 on a charge of endangering – abuse/neglect of a child by a caretaker.
Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae had no comment on the case on Tuesday, Feb. 27. Golden Gate officials did not return messages from Daily Voice for comment.
Smith-Heard allegedly "pushed the victim's body numerous times on a cot in an aggressive manner while trying to get him to go to sleep,” the Vineland police records said. "In addition, the victim sustained numerous visible signs of injury to his face and neck (minor scrapes and redness) consistent with someone pressing down on him.”
Police said an eyewitness and video surveillance also confirmed that account.
"A finding words interview was conducted with the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office and the child confirmed what occurred in the surveillance footage," the police statement said.
According to NJ Advance Media, which was the first to report on the verdict, Golden Gate posted a message on their website in 2021 confirming they had completed an investigation into the incident and “terminated the individual involved.”
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