Daycare worker admits guilt to assault, sentenced to four years
Fargo, North Dakota – In a recent ruling, Alyssa Holzheimer, a former employee of the Creative Strides daycare center, has admitted guilt to an assault charge, following surveillance footage that exhibited abusive behavior towards the children under her care. On June 26, Holzheimer received sentencing for this felony charge.
Holzheimer’s transgressions came to light when security cameras at the Creative Strides center, located at 2761 12th Avenue South in Fargo, recorded her handling a one-year-old girl in a severely inappropriate manner. The footage clearly shows her lifting the child by her wrist and carrying her over a distance of more than ten feet. The subsequent medical examination revealed that this act resulted in a dislocation of the child’s elbow, according to court documents. Additionally, video evidence exposed Holzheimer’s repeated mistreatment of other children at the facility.
Early in April 2022, Creative Strides, along with other daycare centers in the local chain, had their licenses revoked due to substantial leadership issues linked with the owner and instances of neglect. It was just days after the re-licensing of the center that the abuse allegations against Holzheimer arose.
State authorities imposed another correction order on Creative Strides on May 9, 2022, for not reporting the alleged child abuse promptly. Further correction orders were dispensed on May 20 and September 6.
Creative Strides confirmed to us in January 2023 that Holzheimer was dismissed from her position “less than a week after the incident.” The center chose not to provide any additional comments on the matter. Former parents and staff members of Creative Strides, in conversations with Valley News Live, expressed relief that the accusations have finally been acknowledged and are optimistic for improvements at the center.
Cass County Court records indicate that Holzheimer has been sentenced to a four-year prison term, with two years of supervised probation. Her sentence takes into account the 8 days she had already spent in custody and a 90-day period of electronic home monitoring.
