Four Convicted in DeKalb Daycare Abuse Case Caught on Surveillance Video

ATLANTA — A former worker at a DeKalb County daycare was sentenced to decades in prison after pleading guilty to abusing infants and toddlers, authorities said.

Surveillance video from the Appletree Learning Center in Stone Mountain showed 79-year-old Cherretta Hull striking, shaking and mishandling children in her care, DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office officials said. Prosecutors said the footage captured Hull pinching, slapping and punching babies, slamming them onto changing tables, dropping them on the floor and force-feeding them during mealtime.

Hull pleaded guilty Monday to 19 counts of first-degree cruelty to children. A judge sentenced her to 30 years in prison, with 20 years to be served behind bars, prosecutors said.

Three other former daycare employees previously pleaded guilty in an investigation that began after a parent reported finding injuries on her child’s face in June 2022, officials said.

• Alexis Renee Swain pleaded guilty to 29 counts of first-degree cruelty to children. Swain was seen on video hitting, pushing and shaking children and was sentenced to 10 years, with five to be served in custody.

• Cori Chambers pleaded guilty to five counts of cruelty to children. She received a 10-year probation term that includes 120 days of house arrest and 80 hours of community service.

• Cassandra Artis Chambers, the daycare director, pleaded guilty to one count of failing to report suspected child abuse after reviewing the footage and not notifying law enforcement.

The charges involved 13 children, ranging in age from 6 months to nearly 3 years old. As part of their sentences, none of the four women is permitted to work with children outside of their own families.