OAK CREEK, Wis. — A 24-year-old day care worker from KinderCare in Oak Creek, Wis., was arrested after a baby boy tested positive for cocaine, according to the Oak Creek Police Department.
Kimberly Hopson said she noticed “several scratches and marks" on her son, Prince, in early May. She took her concerns to her child's day care facility, KinderCare. The facility is located at 7677 S. Howell Avenue in Oak Creek, Wis.
“As I picked him up, my daughter saw a scratch on his side and as I lifted his shirt, I saw all the marking and scratching on his side and I came back here demanding answers and all they said was, 'It might have been a high-chair,'" Kimberly Hopson said.
When Kimberly Hopson did not get the answers she was looking for from the day care center, she took her child to be evaluated at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin on May 15. Oak Creek Police were contacted about the potential child abuse and to speak with hospital staff and Kimberly Hopson.
Oak Creek Police said between May 16 and May 21, it investigated the incident.
On May 21, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin received results of the tests done on the child during the May 15 visit. Those results revealed there was a positive indication for cocaine in the child's system.
Given the results, detectives then followed up with Child Protective Services Milwaukee staff and met with the child’s family at their home.
Following that meeting, Oak Creek Police Department K-9 conducted an open-air sniff at the child care facility on May 22 that Prince attended. It scoured vehicles in the parking lot and the infant room, where a backpack on the floor gave a positive drug indication.
Police said when detectives searched the backpack, they found a plastic bag with a white powder. The powder tested positive for cocaine.
Passion Watson, the employee the backpack belonged to, was later arrested and transported to the Milwaukee County Jail facility. Watson faces several felony criminal charges, including possession of a controlled substance on or near certain places and neglecting a child. She also faces a misdemeanor of possession of cocaine. Charges have been sent to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors said Watson admitted that she uses cocaine socially about twice a month. However, Watson denied knowing about the bag of cocaine in her backpack that was found during the search.
Questions remain about how cocaine got into her baby's system, especially since Prince cannot walk, according to Kimberly Hopson.
The child's family said they are asking additional charges of neglect be made. They said they want answers from KinderCare, too.
“We are seeking neglect charges which have been forwarded to the district attorney office and we demand that these are pursued with the upmost rigor," B’Ivory LaMarr, the family's attorney, said.
Prince's family said he isn't the same. They said Prince can barely keep food down and is "just staring at the wall."
“My life is forever changed; I can’t trust anyone with my kids ever again," Kimberly Hopson said.
KinderCare has dozens of locations in Wisconsin, and hundreds across the country.
"This day care should be closed down. The owner of this day care should have demanded that every parent be contacted that day, and all of their children should have been sent to some clinic that day to be tested for cocaine," Desiree Hopson, Prince's grandmother said.
Prince's family said they never want another child's family to go through this situation.
“This is not just about this child, this is about all of the families who place their faith in these institutions," LaMarr said.
On Wednesday, a spokesperson for KinderCare said Watson has been terminated and no longer works at KinderCare.
"Nothing is more important to us than the safety of the children in our care. We work hard to create healthy spaces for work, play and learning. All of our centers and programs are drug, alcohol, and tobacco free," a KinderCare spokesperson said.
Police said KinderCare is cooperating with the investigation, which is ongoing. The Department of Children and Families (DCF) said it is performing an investigation concurrently with police. Police said no further information could be provided at this time.
A no contact order has been issued for Watson.