Former Statesboro daycare teacher pleads guilty to cruelty to children

STATESBORO, Ga. (WTOC) - Former employee of Steps to the Future Day Care & Learning Center, Rachel Williams entered a guilty plea to aggravated battery and four counts of cruelty to children in the first degree.

According to the Office of the District Attorney Ogeechee Judicial Circuit of Georgia, these charges stem from an incident in 2024.

Williams was charged after a six-month-old child in her care suffered a skull fracture when she forced the child into a seated position and let the child to fall over and hit their head on the floor repeatedly, wrote the Office of the District Attorney.

A release from the DA’s office says Williams slapped the child and repeatedly yanked the child up from the floor by their wrist because she was, “frustrated with the child’s inability to sit up independently. These actions formed the basis for the cruelty to children charge.”

The case was investigated by the Statesboro Police Department, the Department of Family and Children Services, and reported for review to the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (Bright from the Start).

Williams was sentenced to 20 years, with eight years to be served in the state prison system and the remaining 12 years on probation.

The DA’s office says a special condition of her sentence stops her from seeking employment in the childcare field.