The trial for four women facing child-abuse-related charges at the First United Methodist Church daycare has been delayed after the attorney for one of the women filed a motion to withdraw from the case.
Former Pastor Paige Williams, former daycare director Abby Leach and daycare employees Ashley Simpson and Nina Morgan were set to go to trial on February 14. However, during a pretrial conference in Christian Circuit Court Thursday afternoon, Leach’s defense attorney Ben Fletcher filed a motion to withdraw from the case and recommended the court set up a mediation and a new trial date.
click to download audioJudge John Atkins rescheduled the jury trial for the week of June 13th and asked Fletcher to work with his client to find another attorney.
click to download audioSimpson is facing 30 counts of first-degree criminal abuse of a child under 12-years old and Morgan is charged with two counts of criminal abuse of a child under 12 years. Williams and Leach are each charged with eight counts of first-degree complicity of criminal abuse of a child under 12 for allegedly breaching their duty to protect the eight children from Simpson and Morgan.
Investigators reported the alleged child abuse of the children occurred at the church’s daycare between December 2018 and January 2019.
