A former Georgia daycare provider was sentenced Friday by a DeKalb County judge, in connection with the 202a death of an infant at a Dunwoody childcare center.
According to 11AliveNews, Amanda Hickey, who owned the Little Lovey Daycare in Dunwoody, will spend 30 years in prison for the death of 4-month-old Charlie Arrison Cronmiller, following a murder conviction.
Hickey took an Alford plea in September to murder and cruelty to children charges. The Alford plea allowed her to maintain her innocence while while still holding accountability for her actions.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Hickey put the infant face-down to take a nap February 3, 2021, at the daycare. Then, for two hours, she failed to check on the him, leading to his death.
Hickey claimed that she put him on his back, as mandated by state law, but security footage showed a different story.
“[Hickey] placed him in the pack and play at 1:05 but did not check on him until 3:45 when he was found unresponsive,” a Dunwoody police investigator previously wrote.
“She told [the] detective that she put him on his back in the pack and play. She stated he must have rolled over. She stated she was trained to put children face up. Video show[s] her putting him down face down. He does crawl a bit but stopped around 1:45.”
Arrest warrants also indicated that the “video reveals other actions which are under investigation,” according to 11Alive.
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Police uncovered abuse allegations involving six other children at the daycare center, all infants and toddlers under two years of age, during the investigation.
Court documents indicate that Hickey is accused of holding a 7-month-old upside down by one leg before dropping him on his face. She’s also accused of forcibly grabbing a 14-month-old’s hair and pushing them down, and having 10 children at the center when she was licensed to care for only six children at a time.
Assistant District Attorney Edward Chase said Friday that Hickey knew of state laws but purposely violated the laws by disregarding the risks and ignoring her own training.
”I know that there is nothing I can say in words to take away their pain, except take responsibility and express extreme sorrow for what I’ve done,” Hickey told the court Friday. “This is my legacy now.”
Hickey almost admitted her guilt in connection with numerous other accusations involving the children injured at the daycare, but for Charlie’s mother, Hickey didn’t appear remorseful.
“There is no remorse,” Charlie’s mother, Stephanie Cronmiller, told the court Friday.
“The only thing she’s sorry about is that she got caught. I focus on forgiving myself because I chose her. How could I not think this was my fault?”
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[Feature Photo: Charlie Arrison Cronmiller via “Charlie’s Army“]
