Myrtle Beach daycare faces lawsuit after employee was caught ‘violently shaking a crib’

A Myrtle Beach daycare is facing a lawsuit after an employee was arrested for unlawful conduct toward a child in her care.

Megan Nicole Sallee, 22, was arrested by the Horry County Police Department in August after a witness reported ‘inappropriate and violent behavior’ at Kidzone Daycare. The daycare was located at 3480 McCormick Rd. but has since closed, and another business is open in that location.

Myrtle Beach woman charged with unlawful conduct towards a child

Sallee allegedly “violently shook” a crib several times, causing a head injury to a one-year-old. This occurred in July, according to an incident report, and happened during Sallee’s first week of working at the daycare. Sallee also placed a blanket over the child’s face, and left him in a bouncy seat for half a day with no supervision, according to the report.

The one-year-old’s mother, Morgan Self, filed a lawsuit on Nov. 30 for personal injury against the daycare, as well as director Julie Howell, alleging that the daycare operated in a “negligent, grossly negligent, willful, wanton and reckless manner,” and that the abuse could have prevented.

Self declined to comment to The Sun News. Heather Stone, the attorney representing Self, declined to comment as well.

“Upon information and belief, the assistant director was suspicious because the babies in Sallee’s classroom were inconsolable and crying more than was normal,” the complaint says. “Since it was Megan Sallee’s first week on the job, Defendant Julie Howell should have either supervised Megan Sallee or at a minimum monitored the video footage to make sure she was giving the proper care to the children in her classroom.”

The complaint filing also states that operators of the daycare had a reasonable amount of time to discover the abuse and report it, because of cameras installed inside of the classroom where the physical abuse took place.

Neither Kidzone Daycare nor Howell could be reached for a comment, after multiple attempts made by the Sun News.

The daycare has since shifted ownership, according to Horry County land records. The property was purchased by Pure Joy Properties LLC for $845,000 in late July, after the alleged abuse took place.

This is not the first time the daycare has faced complaints involving child injuries. In 2017, Kidzone Daycare LLC was sued for negligence in 2017, after a child was found “hanging by his neck in a gap in the playground unit.” The case was settled two years later for $110,000.

Sallee was released from the J. Reuben Long Detention Center on Oct. 20, according to the bookings website.

If you suspect child abuse, it’s recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human services to reach out to local law enforcement, or child protective services. The South Carolina Department of Social Services hotline is 1-888-227-3487.