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A Colorado day care worker was busted on 51 counts of child abuse and harassment for allegedly slapping a 2-year-old child in his care before hurling a racial slur at the crying toddler, police said.
Brandon Vigil, 32, was arrested on Feb. 10 for hitting the child with an open hand in a classroom full of students at an undisclosed child care facility in Centennial on Sept. 5, 2024, the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday.
The crazed caretaker, who was hired as a preschool teacher in February 2024, was fired the day after the violent outburst.
Vigil allegedly hurled sleeping pads and other items around a classroom where 14 2-year-old children were present and in his care during the rampage, authorities said.
A teacher’s aid, who witnessed the violent incident, said Vigil appeared irritated and in a bad mood, with his temper seemingly escalating when the children failed to move out of his way. The one toddler he’s accused of striking “was not moving quickly enough” for him, deputies said.
The deranged teacher allegedly called the child, who was crying, a racial slur, though police did not specify what Vigil said.
The “shocked” aid reported the incident to her boss and the police, adding that Vigil had been verbally abusive to kids in the past. No prior incidents had been reported, deputies said.
But upon reviewing footage from the childcare facility, investigators discovered several instances of “harmful, degrading, and humiliating” actions directed at the young children by the teacher.
Vigil was charged with 28 counts of child abuse and 23 counts of harassment after surrendering himself to the Arapahoe County Detention Facility when police obtained a warrant for his arrest.
The sheriff’s office is working with the Colorado State Child Care Licensing and Administration and Arapahoe County Child Protection Services as the investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with information is asked to contact deputies at 720-874-8477.
