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Alexander County church daycare worker charged after toddler found with bruise
Holly Payne was charged with assaulting a child under 12 and fired from the Bethlehem daycare where she worked. Investigators seized classroom video after the child’s parent reported a bruise on his arm.
A childcare worker at Mt. Bethel Methodist Church Child Development Center in Bethlehem has been charged with assaulting a child under 12 and was fired, the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office said Oct. 22, 2026.
Court documents allege Holly Payne grabbed a 2-year-old boy by the arm and “flipped him over aggressively onto a cot during nap time.” The child’s parent contacted the sheriff’s office after noticing a bruise on his arm.
Deputies seized video from the daycare, which has cameras in its classrooms, according to the center’s director, Jessica Roberts. The center serves about 30 children.
Roberts said she was shocked by the allegations and apologized to the family. “I do not stand for that at all,” she said, adding that the children are her top priority.
Several parents said they had not been told about Payne’s arrest or the investigation. Payne was released after posting bond and is expected to make her first court appearance Nov. 23. The allegations have not been proven in court.