Docs: Daycare worker battered non-verbal, autistic 4-year-old

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis woman is facing felony counts of battery and kidnapping after police say she assaulted a 4-year-old child with autism at a daycare on the city’s west side.

According to court documents obtained by FOX59/CBS4, an investigation was launched on Feb. 19 after a report was filed claiming a daycare worker, who police identified as 28-year-old Jada Scaife, allegedly assaulted a 4-year-old at BehaviorWorks ABA, which is located at 618 N. High School Road.

The detective assigned to the case spoke with the child’s mother, who informed them her child was autistic and non-verbal. The woman revealed that she was told her daughter reportedly threw a block while she was sitting underneath a table.

Court documents indicate Scaife responded by “aggressively” taking the child from under the table and allegedly punching the victim with a closed fist in the back. The woman advised that the incident left her daughter with dark bruising.

As the investigation unfolded, the detective spoke with a witness who disclosed that Scaife had allegedly grabbed the victim’s upper arm and pulled her up from under the table. The witness recalled hearing the child “let out a painful scream” after Scaife allegedly punched her in the back, court documents said.

Online court records indicate that Scaife has been preliminarily charged with Battery Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury (Level 5 Felony) and Kidnapping with Bodily Injury (Level 5 Felony). She is scheduled to appear in Marion Superior Court 32 for a jury trial Aug. 20.