DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A former daycare worker will spend years in prison after pleading guilty to abusing children at a Stone Mountain childcare facility.
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The DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday that 79-year-old Cherretta Hull entered a non-negotiated guilty plea to 19 counts of cruelty to children in the first degree.
A judge sentenced Hull to 30 years, with 20 years to be served in confinement.
Hull was one of four employees charged in connection with abuse allegations at the Appletree Learning Center in Stone Mountain.
The case began on June 22, 2022, after a parent reported finding injuries on her child’s face. That report prompted a police investigation and a review of surveillance video from inside the daycare.
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Investigators say video recordings captured repeated abuse over three days.
According to prosecutors, Hull was seen pinching, slapping, and punching babies with a closed fist. Video also showed her handling children roughly, slamming them onto changing tables, tossing them into cribs, dropping them on the floor, and lifting them by one arm. During mealtimes, investigators say she aggressively shoved food and bottles into children’s mouths and hit babies with full bottles of milk.
Three other former daycare employees previously pleaded guilty in the case on August 14, 2024.
- Alexis Renee Swain pleaded guilty to 29 counts of cruelty to children in the first degree. She was captured on video hitting, pushing, shaking children, and slamming them onto floors and changing tables, officials said.
- Cori Chambers pleaded guilty to five counts of cruelty to children in the first degree after being recorded hitting and shaking children in her care.
- Cassandra Artis Chambers, the daycare director, pleaded guilty to one count of failure to report suspected child abuse. Investigators say she reviewed surveillance video showing abuse but did not notify law enforcement, despite being a mandated reporter under Georgia law.
The charges involved 13 children ranging in age from six months to nearly three years old.
Cori Chambers was sentenced to 10 years of probation, with the first 120 days on house arrest and 80 hours of community service.
Prosecutors recommended a 20-year sentence with 15 years in prison for Swain, but a judge instead sentenced her to 10 years with five years to serve in custody.
As part of their sentences, all four women are prohibited from caring for any children, whether in a commercial or at-home setting, except their own relatives.
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