Will Rioux WRDW

New Today: Child left on daycare bus, worker arrested

On April 27th, at approximately 6:09PM Thomson PD received a call to McDuffie Piedmont ER in reference to a child being left in a vehicle. During the course of the investigation, it was learned that the 4-year-old victim was picked up that morning for daycare by Hazel Battle, the suspect, and driver of the bus for Child's World Daycare located at 101 Pecan Avenue Thomson.

It wasn't until approximately 2:30PM when the mother of the victim arrived to pick up the child that it was discovered that the child had been left on the bus until that time.

The child was receiving treatment at this time for severe dehydration and early signs of heat stroke. Battle was charged with Cruelty to Children 2nd Degree and committed to the McDuffie County Detention Center.

Investigation is still on going.

Going through some state documents unrelated to this recent incident on the child care center we found the state had previously determined, during visits in May 2022 and April 2023, that the center had knowingly or intentionally violated criminal record check requirements.

There's a consent agreement that states such violations would normally require the state to revoke the center’s license. Instead of immediate revocation, the parties entered into a settlement allowing the center to keep operating, subject to strict conditions.

The center agreed to:
- Pay a $5,000 enforcement fine
- Have a director oversee all employee background checks, complete background-check training
- Perform audits every 90 days for two years, and understand that any future violation of the criminal-record-check rule during the next two years would trigger mandatory revocation

Documents show the center was back in compliance. Then, during a monitoring visit in September of 2025, the facility was noted as having another issue with records for criminal records check. Again, all of this unrelated to the current incident.

Child left on day-care bus in Thomson; driver arrested A day-care bus driver has been arrested after a student was left in the vehicle, according to Thomson police.

Governor Brian Kemp declared a State of Emergency today for 91 Georgia counties in response to the ongoing wildfires in South Georgia

Amid worsening drought, burn ban issued for most of Georgia. https://www.wrdw.com/2026/04/22/amid-worsening-drought-burn-ban-issued-most-georgia/