BEDFORD — A Bedford man was arrested after an investigation into allegations that a child was injured while in his care at a local childcare facility.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed by Bedford Police Detective Thompkins, Dylan Brown, 21, was arrested on a preliminary charge of child abuse.
Police began investigating on June 24 after family members reported concerns about injuries observed on a 4-year-old child. According to the affidavit, the child’s parents reported noticing bruising on the backs of both of the child’s arms following a custody exchange.
The affidavit states the child told family members the injuries occurred at school and identified a staff member by name. The child reportedly said the staff member grabbed and squeezed the child’s arms while the child was attempting to open a bathroom door.
Police contacted the Indiana Department of Child Services and began an investigation. Detectives later obtained information from the childcare facility, including an internal incident report and video footage from the classroom.
According to the affidavit, the facility reported reviewing video footage from the time of the alleged incident and determined there were concerning actions involving Brown, who was the only staff member in the classroom at the time. The facility reported Brown was placed on administrative leave while the investigation continued.
The affidavit states the child participated in a forensic interview at Susie’s Place on June 26. During the interview, the child reportedly identified Brown as the person who caused the injuries and described an incident involving the child’s arms.
Police later interviewed Brown on June 30. According to the affidavit, Brown said he was assisting the child with bathroom procedures and attempting to move the child to a designated calming area after the child became upset.
Brown told investigators he had grabbed the child by the arms while moving the child but denied doing anything that would have caused injury. The affidavit states Brown was shown portions of the classroom video and acknowledged pulling the child by the shirt to get the child’s attention.
According to the affidavit, detectives reviewed video footage and reported observing interactions between Brown and the child that they believed contributed to the reported injuries.
Those arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
