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Day care owner who sexually abused kids gets just 30 days in prison
Nelson Oliveira
By NELSON OLIVEIRA
| NEW YORK DAILY NEWS |
JUL 16, 2019 | 4:00 PM
Day care owner who sexually abused kids gets just 30 days in prison
Kimberly Hignite was sentenced Monday to 30 days behind bars as part of a generous deal with prosecutors. (Franklin County Sheriff's Office)
The owner of an Ohio day care who was accused last year of neglecting, abusing and molesting several children will be walking free sometime next month.
Kimberly Hignite, 52, of Grove City, was sentenced Monday to 30 days behind bars as part of a generous deal with prosecutors, according to the Franklin County Clerk of Courts’ online records.
A July 2018 indictment accused her of running an unlicensed home day care for 23 children and having “sexually abusive contact” with several of them. She posted bond at the time and had been out of jail since.
The mothers of five of the victims addressed the court during the sentencing hearing Monday and shared horrific details about the abuse, according to WBNS-10TV.
“A game that Miss Kim forced them to play using a tan and blue game board with pictures of private parts and a red spinner,” one of the mothers reportedly said. “Your Honor, the sound of my autistic son and little girl being able to describe what that grown woman’s vagina looks like and feels like, is something we regrettably will never be able to forget, and honestly something that I can never forgive.”
Prosecutors said Hignite sexually abused children over a period of more than seven years, dating back to 2011. When officers conducted a search warrant of her home, there were 23 children there and the only adult present was the woman’s mother, prosecutors said at the time. The children’s ages ranged from 7 months to 5 years old.
Hignite was charged with five felony counts of gross sexual imposition and 17 counts of endangering children. As part of the deal this week, she pleaded guilty to 14 of the misdemeanor counts while prosecutors dropped all other charges. She was also ordered to pay a $4,200 fine.
Prosecutors said they recommended the 30-day sentence because some families chose not to cooperate, the CBS-affiliate station reported. |
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