An Upstate South Carolina childcare center and a former employee are facing criminal and civil consequences after an alleged June 19 incident in which a teacher reportedly allowed three 4‑year‑old girls to hit a classmate who had acted aggressively toward them earlier that day.
According to public records, Loretta Denise Freeman was arrested on July 19 and is charged with unlawful conduct toward a child, a felony that carries up to 10 years in prison. Freeman was released from custody on bond. SolVerus Academy Christian Preschool in Mauldin — Freeman's employer at the time — and Freeman are named in a civil lawsuit filed Sept. 9 by the boy's aunt, Sonya Aubrey.
Allegations and Lawsuit
The lawsuit accuses the center of negligent hiring and supervision and contends that both the school and Freeman are liable for battery and the intentional infliction of emotional distress. Aubrey says she assumed custody of her nephew after the child's mother died in 2025 and alleges the boy began exhibiting behavioral and emotional symptoms — including urinating on himself — that she attributes to the alleged abuse and resulting trauma. She is seeking unspecified damages, including past and future medical and psychological treatment costs.
Regulatory Review and Prior Citations
A South Carolina Department of Social Services (DSS) agent inspected the SolVerus facility on June 30. The inspection found the center compliant in 53 areas and noncompliant in one: 'positive non‑abusive discipline practice.' The DSS agent reviewed discipline regulations with staff that day; records show similar reviews had occurred twice previously. Publicly available DSS records indicate SolVerus received citations in August and December 2024 for high‑severity discipline and behavior‑management issues.
In reviewing statewide records, The Post and Courier found that recurring discipline citations are uncommon but not unheard of: out of nearly 2,300 childcare providers, 23 had three or more such citations over the past three years. Reporters used automated tools to collect public records and verified samples against original DSS documents.
Center's Response
A spokesperson for SolVerus said in an email, 'This was a very poor decision on her part.' The center also stated it reviewed available video footage, terminated Freeman's employment, and voluntarily provided the recordings to SCDSS the same day the incident was reported. SolVerus said Freeman had roughly 30 years of childcare experience, completed 15 hours of annual training, and had passed background checks conducted by the State Law Enforcement Division, the FBI and DSS. The center also maintains a discipline policy that Freeman signed annually.
Connelly‑Anne Ragley, chief external affairs officer at DSS, said agency officials could not immediately answer questions about how the Freeman matter was handled. Freeman's family declined to comment through a message left with her husband, and Aubrey's attorney did not immediately respond to a reporter's inquiry.
The civil case remains pending in Greenville County court; criminal proceedings are ongoing.
