Lithonia daycare provider sentenced to prison for critically injuring baby

A former Lithonia daycare provider accused of critically injuring a child in her care has been sentenced to 15 years behind bars following her conviction by jury trial.  Jurors returned guilty verdicts against 59-year-old Evelyn Bruce-Mighty, owner of Angela’s Little Daycare in Lithonia, on charges of aggravated battery and two counts of cruelty to children in the first degree last Friday.

On May 16, 2014, a 16-month old boy was rushed from Bruce-Mighty’s daycare center to the hospital after suffering an unexplained trauma to his head.  The victim underwent emergency brain surgery and was comatose for more than a month. Though the exact cause of the child’s injuries are still unknown, medical experts testified they were consistent with abusive head trauma often associated with falls from great heights and shaken baby syndrome. The victim, now 4 years old, survived his injuries but still suffers from related medical issues.

DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Asha Jackson sentenced Bruce-Mighty to 30 years to serve 15, with the balance on probation.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorneys Oto Ekpo and Mirna Andrews assigned to the Crimes Against Children Unit, with assistance from DA Investigator Tina Fleming. Detective J. Menefee of the DeKalb County Police Department led the initial investigation.