State welfare officials Wednesday suspended the license of a Dundalk day care center ? three days after receiving an anonymous complaint that a child was taped to a cot and placed in a basement covered in rat feces and poisoning.
The state Department of Education?s Office of Child Care issued an emergency suspension of the Jack and Jill Child Care Center on the 400 block of Westfield Road after receiving an anonymous complaint and conducting inspections Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, said Rolf Grafwallner, an assistant state superintendent.
Baltimore County police also received a complaint from an ex-employee at the facility, who provided evidence that a 4-year-old was taped to a cot or chair put into the basement “covered in mold with rat feces all over,” said police spokesman Cpl. Mike Hill.
An inspection Tuesday morning revealed conditions one officer described as “deplorable,” Hill said.
“Right now, it?s an isolated incident of the one child,” Hill said. “We fear there could be more;however, we don?t have anything to substantiate that at this time.”
Center owner Mary Duerr defended the facility, citing the state?s initial inspection. She acknowledged “some mold” in the basement and said the ex-employee filed the complaint in retaliation for her dismissal.
Duerr said 22 of her 37 clients have continued under her care this week ? evidence of their satisfaction and support, she said in a telephone interview.
“It?s been a day care for lots of years, and nothing like this has ever happened before,” Duerr said. “Hopefully this will all get resolved.”
Grafwallner denied that the state issued a “clean bill of health” but acknowledged that there were initial questions regarding whether the basement was part of the licensed facility and should be included in the inspection. It was later decided the basement should be inspected.
Duerr has 72 hours to appeal the emergency suspension, Grafwallner said Wednesday. After that time, she must cease operations until a hearing is held.
Hill emphasized no one has been charged in the case.
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