CHICAGO (WLS/CNN) – Two women were charged in connection to an incident at a Chicago daycare in which five toddlers were injured with hot glue while working on a Christmas project.
Lizandra Cosme, 32, was arrested Sunday and charged with five counts of aggravated battery of a child under 13 years old causing great bodily harm.
A judge ordered her held without bail on Monday.
Prosecutors say Cosme brought a hot glue gun to a daycare center on Dec. 1. The woman had 16 children under care and was reportedly captured on surveillance video applying the glue gun to the hands and arms of five 2-year-old children.
The victims winced when the hot glue was applied, and some whined, a prosecutor said.
Cosme allegedly tried to apply Neosporin to one child after she saw circular burn marks starting to appear.
Susana Gonzalez, an assistant at the daycare, was also in the room and can allegedly be seen laughing with Cosme in the video. She is charged with five misdemeanor counts of causing the circumstances of child endangerment.
One of the children’s mothers, an ER physician, noticed burn marks on her 2-year-old’s hands and called the daycare director, demanding to see surveillance video.
The daycare says upon learning of the alleged incident, it immediately contacted authorities, terminated the two employees and is now working with investigators.
Cosme’s defense attorney said in court his client “screwed up” but did not act out of malice, citing her 12 years working with young children.
The woman is scheduled to return to court on Dec. 26.
The state Department of Children and Family Services is investigating allegations of abuse, an agency spokeswoman said.
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