Daycare owner, employee arrested on child abuse charges

Published 4:33 pm Saturday, July 16, 2016

DOTHAN, Ala. (AP) — Authorities say a southeast Alabama daycare owner and one of her employees have been arrested on multiple aggravated child abuse charges.

Henry County Sheriff’s Sgt. Steve Sanders tells the Dothan Eagle (http://bit.ly/29YnIbN ) Friday that 71-year-old Mary Malone Clark and 35-year-old Dixie Marie Lane were arrested.

Court records show that the offenses filed against Clark involve victims of ages 2, 3, 4 and 7 years old. It also revealed that Clark choked and used a belt to beat some of the children.

Clark has been charged with six felony counts of aggravated child abuse. Lane is charged with five counts of the same charge.

Sanders say each charge represents a separate child victim.

Court records show that all of the offenses started in May 2014 and occurred more than once until this year.