Daycare owner accused of assaulting toddlers, locking one in attic
By Tim Nazzaro, Arielle Mitropoulos
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KINGSTON, Massachusetts (WCVB) — A Kingston, Massachusetts, daycare owner accused of assaulting toddlers in her care has turned herself into authorities after a warrant was sought for her arrest, according to the Kingston Police Department.
Karen Rezendes, 51, of Kingston, is facing various criminal offenses, including felony assault and battery on young children, and felony assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, according to police.
She was arraigned in Plymouth District Court on Friday and a plea of “not guilty” was entered on her behalf.
Rezendes was held on bail and will return to court on Sept. 4 for a pretrial hearing.
She has run an in-home daycare center called “Oh Nana’s Daycare” for several years in town.
That daycare is no longer licensed following an investigation by both the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families as well as the Department of Early Education and Care.
According to police, in recent years, Rezendes abused several of the children who attended the daycare. The incidents of abuse allegedly included violently shoving a child to the ground, hitting a child with kitchen accessories, slamming a child against a counter and locking a child in the attic, among other offenses.
Police said the children were generally toddlers, and their ages ranged between 1 and 4 years old.
Rezendes’s arrest warrant comes after a multi-week investigation by Kingston detectives, which included several witness interviews and reviews of video evidence.
When officers attempted to serve the warrant at Rezendes’s residence earlier this week, she was not home.
Neighbors said they have raised concerns about Rezendes’s alleged aggressive behavior for years.
“When I called the state, her words to me were, the state needs daycare workers,” one neighbor said. “Like, what is with these people that they think they can do this to children and that it’s okay? It’s not okay.”
Police were searching for Rezendes but said she turned herself in to Plymouth District Court on Friday afternoon.
Additionally, if your child attended “Oh Nana’s Daycare” in recent years and you suspect they may have been abused, you are asked to contact Detective Zachary Francis at 781-585-0523.
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