UPDATE: 9/10/21
CHAMBERS COUNTY, Ala. (WRBL) – An east Alabama mother who once accused an Opelika daycare worker of abusing her child has now been arrested for Aggravated Child Abuse after a Chambers County Grand Jury returned an indictment this week.
Shanna Crowder was arrested by the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office and booked into the Chambers County Detention Facility. Her bond has been set at $60,000.00.
The indictment alleges Crowder was abusing a child under six, using exaggerated, false, or induced medical issues. The indictment reads:
Indictment
State of Alabama, Chambers County Circuit Court, Fall Term, 2021
The Grand Jury of said county charges that before the finding of this Indictment, Shanna Crowder, alias, whose name is otherwise unknown to the Grand Jury, a responsible person, as defined in section 26-15 -2, having permanent or temporary care or custody or responsibility for the supervision of, to-wit: a child under the age of six (6)years old, to-wit: did willfully torture, willfully abuse, cruelly beat or otherwise maltreat, to-wit: exaggeration, fabricate and/or induce illness symptoms in a child, and the abuse took place on more than two occasions, in violation of section 26 -15 – 3.1 (b)(1)(a) of the Code of Alabama against the peace and dignity of the State of Alabama.
News 3 has reached out to the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office for more details on the case.
In December of 2018, Crowder accused Gladys Moore, a daycare worker at Greater Peace Child Development Center, of abusing her then three-year-old child. Moore was arrested after Crowder signed a warrant with the Opelika Police Department. In January of 2019, Moore was found not guilty of Assault 3rd Degree of a child in her care. Opelika Pastor Clifford Jones stood behind Gladys Moore during her arrest and trial. Pastor Jones shared this statement with WRBL News 3 shortly after Moore was found innocent.
“I was pleased to see Ms. Gladys exonerated and found not guilty of the assault charge in court. I have known Ms. Gladys for 15 or more years and witnessed her love and care for children at Greater Peace Child Development Center. Our mission of serving children and their families continues at the center,” said Pastor Jones.
News 3 contacted Pastor Jones again after Crowder’s arrest.
“This news saddens us. We are praying for the child involved, and everyone impacted. Our hope and prayers are for Ms. Crowder as we desire to see her live a wholesome life,” said Pastor Jones.
News 3 is awaiting a potential statement from the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office regarding Crowder’s arrest. We will update this story as we can.
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OPELIKA, Ala. (WRBL) A daycare worker at an Opelika childcare center is facing assault charges after a mother says she witnessed the caregiver abuse her 3-year-old daughter. Opelika police identified the woman as Gladys Moore and say the Greater Peace Child Development Center daycare worker will be arrested for Assault 3rd Degree as soon as Moore can be located.
News 3’s Elizabeth White spoke with the child’s mother Shanna Crowder on Tuesday shortly after she signed the warrant against Gladys Moore. Crowder tells News 3 the horrific events unfolded before her very eyes when she and one of her co-workers picked up her daughter early because they were attending a Christmas parade.
“I’m heartbroken. I feel like I have failed my child by sending her there and I don’t want this to happen to any other kids,” Crowder told News 3.
Thursday, December 6th, Shanna Crowder picked up her little girl, Ella Cate, early from Greater Peace Child Development Center in Opelika. Crowder works as the activities director for a local senior center. She was preparing to take her seniors and her family to a Christmas parade. Crowder says she was walking back to Ella Cate’s room with her co-worker when she saw Moore yank her daughter from her cot and begin abusing her.
“Thursday afternoon I popped in on her at 1:30 in the afternoon where normally I pick her up around 5:00. A co-worker and I watched the teacher snatch her off her cot after hitting her three times in the back and taking her to her chair, slamming her down in her chair and shoving her chair to the table and slamming her head down on the table by the back of her head,” described Crowder.
Crowder said when she hurried into the classroom to get her daughter, Moore denied doing anything wrong. Crowder says she went to the center’s director Angela Alexander. Crowder says Alexander acted concerned at first. Crowder says she and her co-worker, who witnessed the assault along with her, met the next day with Alexander and requested Moore be fired. Crowder says the director refused to take action against the employee.
“She gave me two options, one to bring Ella Cate to school every day and have her picked up by 1:00 because that’s the time the teacher got there or remove her from daycare. She said she did not have enough evidence to fire the teacher,” said Crowder.
News 3 visited the daycare and spoke with Director Angela Alexandar who refused to comment. We do not know if Moore remains at the center.
Crowder then called Opelika Police. Detectives tell News 3 an investigation is ongoing and The Department of Human Resources has been notified. Crowder took cell phone videos of Ella Cate as the child described spankings the little girl says Ms. Gladys gave her and other children at the center. Police are investigating to see if more children may be involved.
Crowder says Ella Cate’s backside was red and over the weekend she developed bruises on her body. Tuesday, Crowder signed a warrant against Gladys Moore for Assault 3rd Degree. Police are in the process of locating Moore and making the arrest.
“I’m an activities director at an assisted living facility. I love what I do, and I can’t imagine harming one of my residents or letting anyone else harm them,” said Crowder.
Meanwhile, Crowder has enrolled Ella Cate in a new daycare and is working to calm her child’s fears while making other parents aware.
“She has a lot of questions as to why someone would do this to her. We have enrolled her in a new daycare center, and she wants to know if they are going to spank her too. I have assured her I will be in and out checking on her often,” said Crowder.
Crowder says she spoke with Pastor Clifford Jones who is the well-known leader of Greater Peace Baptist Church. Crowder says Pastor Jones is on the board at Greater Peace Child Development Center and assured her the situation was being handled. News 3 reached out to Pastor Jones who says he is gathering the details and will let us know when he’s ready to make a statement.
As of Tuesday afternoon Moore still had not been located by Opelika Police. We will update you when Moore is taken into custody. Stay with News 3 as this story continues to develop.
