Ashley Nicole Taris, Raleigh, N.C daycare worker at KinderCare charged with felony child abuse breaking young boy’s leg placing him in ‘criss-cross applesauce’ position.
A daycare teacher in North Carolina is alleged to have broken a young child’s leg while ‘pulling him’ into a seated position at a Raleigh daycare center last year.
Ashley Nicole Taris, 24, a former KinderCare worker, was arrested last week following months long investigation into the incident and charged with felony child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury.
The child told investigators the injury happened as he was pulled into a ‘criss-cross applesauce’ position, resulting in a fracture to his lower leg during an Aug. 22, 2025 incident at a KinderCare location on Mitchell Mill Road in Raleigh, according to an arrest warrant.
Fun ‘donkey kicks’ then oops….
Medical findings showed a spiral fracture of the tibia consistent with what the young boy described, WRAL reported.
During Taris’ court appearance last week, prosecutors said that the teacher aggressively moved the boy even though he was sitting where he was supposed to, CBS 17 reported. The boy said he immediately felt a burn and couldn’t walk.
When interviewed by police, Taris claimed she was doing fun ‘donkey kicks’ when she fell on his leg. However, investigators determined the boy’s injuries were not consistent with her account of what happened, prosecutors said in court.
KinderCare teacher miraculously allowed to continue teaching under ‘safety plan’
Taris was briefly allowed to continue teaching under a safety plan before state licensing officials ordered she be removed from the classroom while the investigation continued.
Taris was disqualified from providing child care by state regulators in November 2025, according to a complaint filed in Wake County court.
Taris was initially issued a citation for misdemeanor child abuse after the Aug. 22 incident. However, she was arrested on April 7 as the charges were upgraded to felony child abuse.
KinderCare in a statement said that Taris is no longer employed by the company and has not worked at the center since October 2025, according to ABC11.
‘At KinderCare, the safety and well-being of the children in our care is always our top priority,’ a spokesperson said, adding that the child’s family and appropriate agencies were notified following the incident.
