A former employee of New Horizon Academy is facing a New Horizon Academy daycare assault charge after St. Paul police say surveillance footage captured him repeatedly striking a 4-year-old child in his care. Aaron Jacob Bonnette, 29, of Woodbury, Minnesota, has been charged with one count of malicious punishment of a child following an incident recorded on 25 June at the academy’s location on 2204 Lower Afton Road in St. Paul.
What the Surveillance Video Shows
According to the criminal complaint reviewed by police, the footage shows Bonnette approaching the boy in a manner described as ‘casual.’ The child, however, appeared ‘frightened.’ KSTP 5 Eyewitness News reports that the video also shows the child running away and holding his hands to his face before Bonnette reached him.
Bonnette allegedly grabbed the boy by the shoulder with one hand and lifted him into the air ‘while repeatedly smacking him in the face with the other hand.’ The child was then left ‘face-down on the floor,’ crying, after the alleged assault.
The boy’s mother reported the incident to police on 29 June, several days after the alleged assault took place. She provided officers with photographs of her son’s bruised face. When police examined the child on 30 June, five days after the alleged assault, the bruises remained visible.
Licence Report and Bonnette’s Account
A police investigator subsequently contacted the director of licensing at New Horizon Academy. That director confirmed staff had spoken with Bonnette regarding the alleged incident. Bonnette claimed he had only ‘used a blanket to cover a child’s mouth for spitting,’ an account inconsistent with what the video is said to show.
An employee at the facility confirmed to police that Bonnette was dismissed and reported to state licensing authorities after the video was reviewed. New Horizon Academy told 5 Eyewitness News that Bonnette was fired immediately after the incident was identified and reported.
Police received the report of child abuse on 29 June. The single charge of malicious punishment of a child was subsequently filed against Bonnette, who resides in Woodbury.
Prior Licensing History at the Lower Afton Road Site
The Lower Afton Road location had already drawn scrutiny from state regulators before this incident. The Twin Cities Pioneer Press reports that records show the facility last faced a licensing investigation in May for two violations: failure to maintain proper staff-to-child ratios and a second, unspecified violation. The Minnesota Department of Human Services administers child care licensing in the state, with providers required to meet statutory staffing and safety standards.
New Horizon Academy describes itself as a Minnesota family-owned company that has grown from a single preschool classroom opened in 1971 to a network of 100 schools today, with six locations across St. Paul. The Lower Afton Road site is one of those six.
Bonnette has not yet entered a formal plea, according to available reports. The criminal complaint remains the subject of any further proceedings before the Minnesota courts. Subject to any additional charges being laid, the malicious punishment count will be the focus of those proceedings.
