Former San Angelo daycare teacher indicted after video shows child 'swinging in air'

SAN ANGELO — A former San Angelo daycare teacher could spend 10 years in jail after a student was seen "swinging" by their arm and assaulted during school hours, according to court documents released Friday.

The indictment charged Justice Marie Thomas, 26, with injury to a child younger than 14 years old with intentional bodily injury. This is a third degree felony punishable by up to 10 years in jail and a fine not to exceed $10,000.

More:Tom Green County Detention Center under partial lockdown after officer assaulted

Video shows child swinging by their arm, placed in dark closet

On March 30, 2021, police watched surveillance video from Thomas's classroom at Trinity Lutheran Early Childhood Center, 3516 Lutheran Way. They noticed Thomas yelling at a child early in the day, while about 13 children took a test, records state.

Thomas told the student law enforcement would arrest them and take them to jail. The child throws a pencil case to the ground, then Thomas moves around her desk and "forcefully" pushes them to the ground, according to an arrest affidavit.

Thomas "forcefully" picked the student up, shoved the pencil case into their torso and walked to the classroom door with them. In the hallway, she grabbed them by the arm, "forcefully jerking (the child) up and then forcefully pulling (the child) back" towards the main area of the classroom, records state. 

Investigators noted the child could be seen ""swinging in the air," according to court documents.

She commanded the student to go into the unlit classroom closet and closed the door. After nearly 40 seconds, she opened the door, knelt down and yelled at the child, records state.

The student told investigators Thomas hit them, though the video did not show it.

"At one point it sounds as though Thomas hits (the child), however it is not seen what occurs because the door to the closet is blocking the view," the records stated. 

"It should be noted that during the entire incident, it is obvious the child is scared, is crying, screaming for parents and pleading with Thomas," records stated.

Woman attributes medical issue to assault in police interview

During a police interview, Thomas stated she didn't remember assaulting the student and believed she had "some type of medical issue that caused her memory loss and aggressive behavior towards the child," records state.

Investigators reviewed her medical records and did not see any conditions that would change her culpable mental state.

Thomas was arrested April 13 on suspicion of intentionally and knowingly causing bodily injury to a child 14 year of age or younger and released from the Tom Green County Jail the next day on a $5,000 bond, according to online jail records. 

NOTE: The San Angelo Standard-Times uses the singular they/them when reporting child-related crimes to protect the child's identity. 

Alana Edgin is a journalist covering Crime and Courts in West Texas. Send her a news tip at aedgin@gannett.com.