CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The owner of a Charlotte day care center charged with child abuse waived her right to an attorney on Tuesday and received a trial date.
Leslye Denis Torrence is facing six misdemeanor counts of child abuse stemming from a February incident at the Midwood Learning Academy on Central Avenue. A witness told Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police she saw multiple children playing unsupervised and that multiple kids were being driven around in a car without seatbelts.
The witness told officers the kids piled into a car after the driver, identified as Torrence, called them over so they could leave. The woman said she confronted Torrence and tried to stop her, but the vehicle sped away with one of the doors open, according to an arrest warrant. The witness snapped a picture of the kids not wearing a seatbelt and turned it over to police.
On Tuesday, Torrence waived her right to assigned counsel. A bench trial is set for July 17 in Mecklenburg County.
Midwood Learning Academy's license was suspended by the state after the allegations surfaced. The Department of Health and Human Services said it needed to "protect the health, safety and welfare" of the children as the reason of the suspension. Torrence received a $60,000 bond and was released from jail shortly after being taken into custody.
The father of one of the kids involved said he was very upset over what happened and raised concerns about other incidents that went undetected.
"My daughter is laying across the lap of other kids that don't have seatbelts, about to fall out," he said. "It's unfathomable."
The father, whose name hasn't been released, went on to say there was no structure at the day care and said he noticed systemic problems that put the kids in danger.
"There were real systemic problems within the day care, that again, put these kids lives in jeopardy, which is crazy to say out loud," the man said.
Contact Richard DeVayne at rdevayne@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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