Day care owner hid 26 kids behind false wall, Colorado cops say. She’s going to prison
A day care owner was sentenced to six years in prison last week after police found 26 children hidden behind a false wall in the woman’s basement, Colorado officials said.
Carla Faith was convicted in August by a jury on 26 counts of child abuse, obstructing a peace officer and operating a child care facility without a license, KOAA-TV reported.
In November 2019, police conducted a welfare check at Faith’s home in Colorado Springs, who was then 58, where she also ran her day care, Play Mountain Place, the Colorado Springs Police Department said in a 2019 Facebook post.
Officers did not see any children, but they heard noises. A hidden false wall led to Faith’s basement, where police found more than two dozen children and two adults, authorities said.
Faith’s license allowed six children under her care with two being under the age of 2 years old. Officers found 12 children under 2, KOAA-TV reported.
But her defense attorney, Josh Tolini, said during the sentencing that Faith had an issue with saying “no” and couldn’t turn children away from her care, the news outlet reported. Tolini added that she made “incredibly poor decisions about how to do this.”
The license also didn’t allow employees, KRDO reported.
One employee, Christina Swauger, also was found guilty Thursday of 26 counts of child abuse and obstructing a peace officer, media outlets report.
Another employee took a plea deal, and a fourth still faces charges, KKTV and KRDO reported.
Upset parents also spoke out during Faith’s court hearing.
One parent said her daughter became more “aggressive” by hitting and pulling hair, KOAA-TV reported.
“These kids were put into danger and every single one of these families has been impacted greatly by what happened in this case,” KKTV reported District Attorney Michael Allen saying.
This story was originally published October 25, 2021 at 2:32 PM with the headline "Day care owner hid 26 kids behind false wall, Colorado cops say. She’s going to prison."
