She was sentenced to 180 days in jail with 90 days suspended. The remaining 90 days are to be served on electronic home detention. She also was placed on probation for one year, during which time she must complete an anger management class and parenting class, which are conditions of her suspended sentence.
Matthews is a former employee at Anna’s Early Beginnings Child Care and Learning Center, 5833 Shull Road, which has maintained a gold Step Up to Quality rating from the Ohio Department of Children and Youth.
The Huber Heights Police Division investigated three abuse allegations in June and July 2024 involving three infants — two requiring surgery.
The fourth abuse allegation involving a 5-month-old boy came to light during the October investigation. It is the only one that led to a criminal charge against Matthews, who was fired from the child care center.
The families of two children have filed lawsuits in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court against Matthews and Early Beginnings. The cases have since been consolidated and set for trial on Sept. 28, 2026, according to court records.
An employee told police she was assisting other day care workers with restroom breaks and was in the infant room July 30, 2024, when Matthews’ co-teacher took a short break.
The worker said she saw Matthews changing a crying boy’s diaper at a changing table. She began to read a chart and as she looked up, she said Matthews “tossed” the 5-month-old boy into his crib. The baby vomited and cried. He threw up at least twice more, with blood mixed in the last time, the report stated.
The worker said she told the day care’s then-director and provided a statement.
In Ohio, day care employees are mandated reporters, meaning they are legally required to report suspected child abuse or endangerment. A DCY investigator said there was no notification to the state or Montgomery County Children Services about the July 30 incident.
Also, the worker’s statement was not in Matthews’ personnel file or the infant’s file and would have been included in documents they were ordered to turn over in relation to a search order signed by a judge.
A regional director for Early Beginnings told police that had she been aware of the incidents when they happened that Matthews would have been fired immediately. She also told police that steps had been taken to make sure something like this did not happen again, according to the report.
State records show Early Beginnings had two state inspections in the months since the Huber Heights investigation began.
An inspection in October in response to a complaint asked the center to address a determination a staff member used “cruel, harsh, unusual, or extreme techniques.”
The center was directed to provide training and submit a corrective action plan. Its status was updated May 7, indicating the matter is “fully addressed.”
State reports show the enrollment levels at the day care center have suffered following the allegations and investigation.
In December 2023, there were 75 children in care, compared to an enrollment of 55 in a February inspection report.
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