A woman from Lexington County has been sentenced to prison on August 9th. She was convicted of child physical abuse charges, as reported by the 11th Judicial Circuit solicitor.
Shayna McKnight, aged 38, has received a 12-year sentence after a four-day trial in Lexington County General Sessions Court. She has been found guilty of causing serious harm to a child and engaging in inappropriate behavior towards a child.
McKnight was a caregiver at Windsor Academy Child Development Center, which is situated at 952 Old Cherokee Road in Lexington. Previously providing daycare services for infants and preschool children, the childcare center is no longer operational.
The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department was alerted when Prisma Children’s Hospital provided medical care to a 10-month-old child with a fractured tibia, or shin bone. According to a press release from prosecutors, surveillance footage from March 11, 2022, captured McKnight lifting the child from the floor using only one arm. According to the statement, the video showed McKnight covering the child’s mouth with a blanket.
According to the release, McKnight was seen restraining a 9-month-old child by using a blanket to secure his arms, legs, and feet. According to the solicitor’s office, the child was placed on his stomach in a crib for almost two hours.
Aside from the March 11 counts, McKnight also faced charges of cruelty to children for other acts of aggression on three separate occasions within the same month. She was found guilty of those charges on June 20, 2023.
McKnight is being moved to the S.C. Department of Corrections, where she will promptly start serving her sentence. Parole will not be an option for her.
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