Three More Arrested for Child Abuse at Madison County (Richmond) Day Care

It has been reported that three more people have been arrested in a child abuse investigation in Madison County.

Richmond Police executed a search warrant and took Jessica Houk, Theodrick Hersey and Brooklyn Houk into custody. They were detained at the Madison County Detention Center.

Jessica Houk and Theodrick Hersey are the owners of A Step Ahead Daycare in Richmond and The Kids Club Childcare Center.

The pair was recently divorced, according to court records.

The three have been charged with child abuse, failure to report abuse and knowingly obstructing an investigation.

According to their arrest citations, they told staffers via text message to lie to state investigators about a child who left the daycare and almost walked onto a major roadway.

Employees told officers it was an effort to cover up the truth. One staffer gave false statements to investigators but later retracted.

Last week, Elizabeth Thomas, another day care employee, was arrested and charged with child abuse. She’s accused of depriving a child of certain foods who required a specialized diet plan due to a health condition.

Investigators also found evidence that she was written up for hitting a child in March of 2023, as seen on video, but was allowed to keep her job, and the incident was not reported.

Police believe that led her to abuse five more children, which included one being strangled, another punched by a worker, and a third child’s parent expressed concern of sexual abuse by an employee, which was not reported.