OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — After Carl Hansen pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct, the victim's mother spoke in court on Wednesday about what the former owner of Rosewood Academy did to her two-year-old son.
“The hardest thing in my entire life was looking into his big brown eyes and seeing him hurting,” she said.
Witnesses told police they saw Rosewood Academy daycare co-owner Carl Hansen grab the toddler by the wrist, yank him by the ankle and drag him across the floor. The victim’s mother told the court no one told her what happened to her son until 21 days after the incident.
RELATED: 'Why are you sitting on it?' Former Rosewood employee says DHHS took too long to report child abuse
“Without knowing, we took him to the same place from which he was having nightmares about rehab, this thing happened to him. And this type of trauma perpetuated because of a lack of accountability or truthfulness being told from the person who caused it,” she said.
When police first arrested Hansen, his charge was listed as "child abuse, no serious injury," which carries a maximum penalty of a year in prison and a $500 fine. Earlier this summer, he pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct.
During his sentencing hearing the prosecution asked the judge for 12 months probation with three conditions during his probation:
- Hansen must complete an anger management course.
- Hansen cannot use alcohol or drugs.
- Hansen cannot be alone with anyone under the age of 19 who is not related to him.
While Hansen’s attorney told the judge Hansen had no history of drug or alcohol abuse, the only condition he asked the judge to remove was to allow Hansen to be alone with children during his probation. The judge denied that request and also ordered Hansen pay a $500 fine.
If Hansen had been convicted of “Child Abuse, No Serous Injury” he would have automatically been disqualified from ever running or working at a daycare center.
3 News Now Investigators contacted the State Department of Health and Human Services to see if after this new conviction, Hansen could potentially work at a daycare. DHHS released the following statement:
“A Disorderly Conduct charge does not automatically bar an individual from working in child care but DHHS always prioritizes the well-being and safety of children and makes licensure and other decisions guided by the best interests of children and families.”
Shortly after the 3 News Now Investigators started reporting on state inspections involving Rosewood Academy, Omaha Police arrested three people: Carl Hansen, Summer Dawson and Sage Bartow. Within a matter of days, DHHS issued an emergency closure of all three facilities. All three locations have not reopened since.
READ MORE: Two plead not guilty of caretaker neglect in Rosewood Academy cases
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