DELAWARE COUNTY, Ohio — A former owner of a Delaware County day care pleaded guilty Tuesday to 14 counts of child endangerment, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Rhonda Coomes, 53, of Radnor, was indicted on three counts of kidnapping and 14 counts of endangering children in April. She initially pleaded not guilty to the charge by reason of insanity and requested an evaluation, but changed her plea.
A prosecutor said the three kidnapping charges were for a specific incident where Coomes was accused of restraining children in a high chair and assaulting them. Those charges have since been dropped.
The prosecutor’s office said the 14 child endangerment charges come from 14 different children.
A complaint in the Delaware Common Pleas Court says Coomes reportedly caused a 10-month-old child harm by striking her multiple times in the face and nose area with the palm of her hand. Coomes was running an in-home day care in Radnor at the time.
The complaint also states that she hit the child with a hard plastic diaper wipe container.
The 10-month-old victim also endured physical harm when she was allegedly tossed landing on her back into a pack-and-play. At the end of the day, court documents say the child had a black eye.
Prosecutors said the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office obtained nearly two months of videos recorded inside Coomes’ home, and after reviewing only a few days so far, Coomes is seen “cruelly abusing children in her home.”
Her sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 27, 2025. She faces a maximum penalty of 42 years in prison.