Connecticut Daycare Worker Accused of Hurling 2-Year-Old Against Wall 'Like a Piece of Luggage'

A Connecticut woman has been fired from her job and arrested after law enforcement officials alleged she was caught throwing a toddler into a wall “like a piece of luggage.”

On Jan. 12, the police received a requested that Kristie Kovarcik be arrested following the incident at Town & Country Early Learning Center in Middletown, according to a statement from local authorities.

Detectives from the Special Investigations Unit were able to obtain surveillance footage from the school, which allegedly shows that Kovarcik “picked up the minor child and tossed the child to the side.”

Officials said the child’s head hit the wall and the toddler sustained a small contusion above the eye.

The school’s director told police that she “heard a commotion” coming from Kovarcik’s room that day, so she looked at surveillance footage. The child was removed from the classroom and she reported the situation to their parents and the Department of Children and Families.

According to a warrant obtained by WVIT, Kovarcik told police that children were wrestling and fighting in the classroom, so she lifted the victim and their head hit the wall.

However, the child’s guardian said it looked as if Kovarcik picked up the child by their shirt and threw them in the air “like a piece of luggage.”

Police obtained a warrant to arrest Kovarcik and she turned herself in to police on Feb. 26, officials said.

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Kovarcik was charged with risk of injury to a minor, and second-degree reckless endangerment.

Authorities said Kovarcik allegedly also kicked, shoved and dropped other children in the classroom on different occasions. She has lost her job with Town & Country Early Learning Center.

“Upon observing the incident involving Ms. Kovarcik on our internal camera monitoring system, we immediately initiated an internal investigation, notified the appropriate state authorities, and terminated the employee, "the center said in a statement to WVIT. "Our safety and training protocols are amongst the strictest in our industry and we treat any such incident with the utmost seriousness. The safety and protection of the children in our care is always our top priority."