The November trial date for four women facing child abuse charges at the First United Methodist Church daycare in Hopkinsville was vacated and a new trial date was set due to a special prosecutor being assigned to the cases.
Former daycare worker Allison Simpson is charged with thirty counts of first-degree criminal abuse of a child under 12-years old and Nina Morgan is facing two counts of first-degree criminal abuse of a child under 12. Former church pastor Paige Williams and former daycare director Abby Leach each face eight counts of first-degree complicity of criminal abuse of a child under 12.
During a pretrial conference in Christian Circuit Court Wednesday morning, Blake Chambers of Morgantown entered his appearance as the special prosecutor who was appointed to the case about a month ago. Chambers told Chief Circuit Judge John Atkins he has concerns with the cases set to go to trial in November and asked for a February trial date.
click to download audioDefense attorneys representing the four women had no objection to the trial date being moved with Judge Atkins setting a pretrial conference on the vacated trial date.
click to download audioWilliams and Leach were initially indicted by a Christian County grand jury in August 2019 on one count of first-degree complicity of criminal abuse of a child under 12-years old. However, a few months later a grand jury returned superseding indictments against the two women charging them with eight counts of first-degree complicity of criminal abuse of a child under 12. Williams and Leach are accused of breaching their legal duty to protect eight minors less than 13-months old from a situation that might cause serious physical injury, torture, cruel confinement, or cruel punishment at the hands of Allison Simpson and Nina Morgan.
Investigators reported the alleged child abuse of several children occurred at the church’s daycare between December 2018 and January 2019.
