Attorneys for the former pastor at First United Methodist Church and the daycare’s former director were back in Christian Circuit Court Thursday morning to address any loose ends before jury selection begins in the trial Monday morning.
Former pastor Paige Williams and former daycare director Abby Leach are both charged with eight counts of complicity to first-degree criminal abuse of a child under 12. The two women are accused of “breaching their duties to protect the children from the hands of former daycare workers Allison Simpson and Nina Morgan” who were both convicted by a jury and sentenced by Judge John Atkins last month.
At a pretrial conference Thursday morning, the attorneys and special prosecutor discussed filing a stipulation that there were no phone calls recorded by the Department of Community Services Division of Child Care when one of the witnesses called to report a child abuse case at the daycare in the summer of 2018. Special Prosecutor Blake Chambers said he had learned that Centralized Intake did not record anonymous phone calls in 2018 if the caller didn’t know the name of the perpetrator or the child allegedly being abused.
click to download audioHe added that Centralized Intake takes hundreds of anonymous calls a day and there is nothing mentioned or any evidence of this call other than the witness testifying at trial.
click to download audioThe attorneys and Judge John Atkins agreed to the stipulation with Bill Deatherage, who represents Williams, adding that it needs to be put on record.
Both Deatherage and Bundrick, who represents Leach, requested copies of the jury verdicts for Simpson and Morgan that are sealed. It was also noted by Chambers that there would be no discussion of the jury verdicts and penalties during the upcoming trial.
click to download audioAfter Deatherage pointed out that he believes that information is relevant in this case, Judge Atkins said it would be considered if there was a case law supporting it.
click to download audioJudge Atkins previously sentenced Simpson to a total of 20 years in prison, with former daycare worker Morgan sentenced to one year in the Christian County Jail. Simpson was convicted by a Christian Circuit Court Jury in June of twelve counts of criminal abuse of a child twelve or under. The jury convicted Morgan of one count of third-degree criminal abuse of a child 12 or under. The jury could not agree on sentences, with Judge Atkins then responsible for determining the sentence in both cases.
Jury selection for the Williams and Leach trial will begin Monday morning in Christian Circuit Court.
