By admin 
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — A Wake County grand jury has formally indicted a former daycare teacher accused of breaking a 4-year-old child’s leg during an incident at a Raleigh daycare last year, according to court records.
Ashley Nicole Taris, 24, was indicted Tuesday on a charge of intentional child abuse inflicting serious physical injury, court documents show.
The charge stems from an August 2025 incident at the KinderCare on Mitchell Mill Road, where Taris was previously charged with felony child abuse.
During Taris’ first court appearance on April 9, prosecutors said the child told investigators his teacher injured his leg while trying to get him to sit down during class, consistent with allegations outlined in Taris’ arrest warrant.
“The victim said he was sitting criss-cross where he was supposed to be,” prosecutors said in court. “The defendant pulled his leg, and he said he immediately felt a burn and couldn’t walk.”
Prosecutors said the child suffered a spiral fracture of the tibia, which they said was consistent with the victim’s account of what happened.
Records from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services show KinderCare received a violation six days after the incident tied to the same allegations.
According to the state report, “a staff member pulled a four-year-old child aggressively by the child’s lower leg/ankle, resulting in a fracture to the child’s lower shinbone/ankle.”
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Taris was initially issued a citation for misdemeanor child abuse, but the Wake County Sheriff’s Office later upgraded the charge to a felony.
In a statement previously provided to CBS 17, KinderCare said Taris is no longer employed by the company and has not worked there since October 2025.
A spokesperson said the daycare immediately notified the child’s family and appropriate agencies following the allegation.
The company also said Taris was temporarily allowed to remain in the classroom under guidance from state officials before licensing officials later removed her.
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In January, Taris filed a civil complaint against the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services after receiving notice she had been disqualified from providing child care.
According to the complaint, the written notice — dated Nov. 20 — was not received by Taris until nearly a month later. Taris disputed the disqualification and asked for the decision to be withdrawn.
A judge later delayed the civil case pending the outcome of the criminal child abuse case.
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