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Last week, daycare employees Emma Dietrich and Joshua Tennant, were tried for child endangerment after assisting students in the assault of a five-year-old student.
Dietrich, 31, and Tennant, 27, were aides in the same classroom at Worthington Learning Center.
In a video released by the Columbia Police Department, multiple students can be seen surrounding a five-year-old and assaulting her.
Police said:
"In the video, the older students are grabbing, pulling, dragging, swinging and just 'bullying' [the girl]. She appears frightened and keeps her eyes closed or covered and attempts to curl up into a fetal position."
One of the older students brought the five-year-old into the classroom and led her to the group of students who would perform the attack.
The five-year-old girl visibly tried to get away, but she was held down by one of the other students.
Dietrich and Tennant could both be seen in the background, sitting at a table and observing the scene. Tennant was eventually the one to step in---but not to help the five-year-old.
Later in the video footage, Tennant can be seen picking up the five-year-old girl by her left leg and right ankle, carrying her upside-side, and putting her back on the carpet were her tormentors were.
In reviewing the school's tapes, the owner of the daycare, Lisa Rowe, was "heartbroken" at what she saw in the footage. Rowe immediately fired Tennant and Dietrich, and forwarded the tape to child protective services for investigation.
Both Tennant and Dietrich were arrested and tried for misdemeanor counts of child endangerment after admitting they did not step in. They admitted to performing a convoluted approach to "discipline."
The Columbia Police Department released information about the investigation on Twitter, where individuals shared their opinions about the attack, and the need for a child-abuse-specific database.
This case remains an ongoing investigation. While we are protecting the identity of the 5yo victim we want to share… https://t.co/qYfdnRsB2B— Columbus Ohio Police (@Columbus Ohio Police) 1568225788.0
@ColumbusPolice Shut this place down!— COLLEEN GOFORTH (@COLLEEN GOFORTH) 1568362275.0
@ColumbusPolice They’re calling it bullying, It’s abuse to a 5 yr old little girl, and she will never forget this h… https://t.co/qRyE2aTKxm— zuny (@zuny) 1568355048.0
@ColumbusPolice I hope there is a registry for these individuals. They should never be allowed to teach, coach or a… https://t.co/dDRjibJ2G6— Lee J. Coen (@Lee J. Coen) 1568384107.0
@ColumbusPolice This is beyond bullying and the people in charge allowed it to happen and at one point pick up the… https://t.co/M6r8bJM7Ih— mia.moore (@mia.moore) 1568413456.0
Those at the Columbia Police Department are keeping the investigation open at this time. There are still questions about what led to the assault, and why the five-year-old was brought to the classroom, that remain unanswered.
Some onlookers hope for Dietrich and Tennant to be tried for more than child endangerment. Others hope they will be placed on a list where they will never be able to work with children again.
Whether or not these actions occur remains to be seen.
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