DELAWARE COUNTY, Ohio — The owner of a Delaware County day care has been indicted on additional kidnapping and endangering children charges after she was allegedly recorded causing physical harm to a 10-month-old girl who was under her care, according to court documents.
Rhonda Coomes, 53, was previously indicted on one count of kidnapping and three counts of endangering children. An indictment filed Thursday shows Coomes has three kidnapping charges and 14 endangering children charges.
The prosecutor said the three kidnapping charges are for a specific incident where Coomes is accused of restraining children in a high chair and assaulting them. He said the 14 child endangerment charges come from 14 different children who they believe Coomes assaulted.
Coomes pleaded not guilty to the charges on Monday.
A complaint in the Delaware Common Pleas Court says Coomes reportedly caused the child harm by striking her multiple times in the face and nose area with the palm of her hand. Coomes was running an in-home day care in Radnor at the time.
The complaint also states that she hit the child with a hard plastic diaper wipe container.
The 10-month-old victim also endured physical harm when she was allegedly tossed landing on her back into a pack-and-play. At the end of the day, court documents say the child had a black eye.
Prosecutors say the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office obtained nearly two months of videos recorded inside Coomes’ home, and after reviewing only a few days so far, Coomes is seen “cruelly abusing children in her home.”
Coomes’ trial date is scheduled for June 11.