Former daycare operator guilty of child abuse

DELAWARE, Ohio (WCMH) -- A Delaware County woman pleaded guilty to multiple charges in connection with abusing children who attended her home-run daycare center.

Rhonda Coomes, 53, of Radnor, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to 14 counts of endangering children, all third-degree felonies. Each charge relates to a different victim, the Delaware County prosecutor's office said.

According to the Delaware County Sheriff's Office, the investigation into Coomes began after anonymous complaints were made of potential child abuse, which the office said happened between January 2021 and September 2023. Coomes was arrested and charged in January of this year.

Coomes faces a maximum sentence of 42 years in prison (three years for each charge), with sentencing scheduled for Jan. 27.

According to the sheriff's office, Coomes injured a 10-month-old girl by hitting her multiple times in the face with the palm of her hand and six times with a “hard plastic diaper wipe container.” The child suffered a black eye, court records state.

Coomes was also accused of throwing a child onto its back into a playpen and then hitting the child. That same day, Coomes abused a three-year-old for not eating fast enough, the sheriff's office said.