Three of five Hamilton daycare workers who went viral after scaring children with a Halloween mask have been sentenced to jail time.
Sierra McCandless, Oci-Anna Kilburn, Jennifer Newman, and Shyenne Shelton – all former employees of Lil’ Blessings Daycare in Hamilton – appeared in court beginning Friday on charges of child abuse. Traci Hutson, another employee, was charged with simple assault and failure to report abuse.
As reported by WCBI, Kilburn and McCandless both pleaded no contest to five charges and will serve one year in jail with 12 months of probation. They will also have to pay fines of over $5,900. Newman pleaded guilty to one charge of child abuse with four others pending on if she met the court’s demands. She was sentenced to six months behind bars.
Hutson pleaded guilty to simple assault with the failure to report abuse charge pending on if she met the demands of the court. Shelton has not appeared in court yet.
In October 2022, a video hit the internet of a masked employee at Lil’ Blessings going from classroom to classroom and yelling at the “bad” children. Children can be seen running, screaming, crying, and hiding as a result of the torture.
At this time, no charges have been filed against the owner of the daycare.