Day care owner Melinda Hamilton accused of lying after child left in van 5 hours

The owner of a local day care was arrested after authorities said she tried to cover up the fact that a child was left in a day care van for more than 5 hours.

Dr. Melinda Hamilton, the owner and supervisor of Bright Achievers Pre-K Center, located on Jefferson Street in Austell, is accused of telling the 2-year-old’s mother that the child had only been left in the van for 15 minutes, according to a Cobb County warrant.

The warrant says the incident happened between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m May 5.

Hamilton was notified that a child had been found in the day care’s van, and she met the driver and child at a Publix on Floyd Road.

The driver described the child as ”sweaty and the child’s clothing as ”moist from having been in the van several hours, the warrant says.

The warrant says Hamilton did not call 911 or take the child to the hospital or doctor, and that she told the driver not to tell anyone else that the child had been left in the car.

She also instructed employees to concoct a story about a field trip and destroy video evidence, the warrant says.

The child’s mother sought medical treatment for her daugther the following night, after a day care employee told her what happened. The girl's mother also noticed that her daughter was sluggish and unusually thirsty, the warrant says. 

Hamilton was arrested on charges of reckless conduct, false statements and concealing facts and tampering with evidence, according to the warrant.