In a disturbing case out of Georgia, a pre-kindergarten teacher stands accused of abusing young children, with allegations suggesting her assistant witnessed these acts but did not report them. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) has taken up the case, charging Tanesha Herrington, aged 47, with eight counts of first-degree cruelty to children. Meanwhile, her assistant, Courtney Dutton, 37, has been charged with failing to report the abuse.

The investigation was set in motion following an anonymous tip received by the Claxton Police Department, which alerted them to the alleged mistreatment occurring in Herrington’s classroom. As part of the evidence-gathering process, a security camera within the classroom played a crucial role, capturing distressing footage of the incidents.

According to the GBI, the recordings reveal Herrington engaged in various abusive behaviors towards students, most of whom are around 5 years old. The footage reportedly shows her repeatedly hitting two students in the face, grabbing one child by the throat, and aggressively lifting sleeping children by their arms. Additionally, it captures her slapping a child’s arm, pushing them, and throwing a backpack at a student seated on the ground. These incidents span both the current and past academic years, authorities stated.

Inside this classroom sat a security camera, the GBI said, recording what went on inside. That camera captured Herrington committing heinous actions against students usually no more than 5 years old, according to authorities.

“The footage depicts Herrington hitting two students repeatedly in the face, grabbing a student by the throat, forcefully lifting students by the arms while they were lying on the floor asleep, slapping a student on the arm and then pushing the student, and throwing a bookbag at a student who was seated on the ground,” the GBI stated, adding, “the videos include incidents from both the current and previous academic years.”

Dutton — described as being Herrington’s paraprofessional, “a trained aide who assists a professional person” — was allegedly “observed on video inside the classroom during several of these incidents and failed to report the conduct as mandated.”

At the time of the GBI’s announcement on Friday, the agency said additional footage was still being sifted through, and “additional victims may be identified, potentially resulting in further charges.”

The investigation is ongoing, and when it concludes, the Atlantic Circuit District Attorney’s Office will be tasked with prosecuting those charged.

Claxton is a small city in the center of Georgia, located about 50 miles west of Savannah.