Day Care Teacher Angeles Westmoreland Arrested On Child Abuse Charges

PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. -- A day care center in Paulding County is under investigation after a teacher was arrested on allegations she hurt a 5-year-old boy.

The boy's mother, April Nations, said, "We took his shirt off and there were bruises and blood blisters and fingeail scratches in multiple areas all over his body."

The teacher, Angeles Westmoreland, is now charged with battery.

Westmoreland has been released on $1,000 bond.

A day care center employee told Channel 2's Sophia Choi that Westmoreland no longer works there.

But Nations said Westmoreland did work there, even after she alerted the center about the alleged abuse. "That floored me. How can you not tell parents? She had kids in there from 2-years-old all the way up to 10," Nations told Choi.

Meanwhile, investigators are looking for more possible victims.

Sgt. Brandon Gurley from the Paulding County Sheriff's Department said, "Since this information has come to light, our crimes against children unit has been contacted on similar cases."

The boy's mother isn't surprised, saying, "It was only his third day, so he can’t be the first child to ever have this experience."

Bright from the Start, which gives day care centers in Georgia a license to operate, is now also investigating.

Nations said her child was told by Westmoreland not to tell his parents about what happened.

"How many other children has she been extremely rough with and they just didn’t tell because they got cookies and they didn’t want to get into trouble?" wondered Nations.