Brookhaven preschool director and teacher arrested on child cruelty charges involving toddlers, police say

Credit: MGB

The director of a Brookhaven preschool and its lead teacher have been arrested following multiple allegations of cruelty to children in their care.

Detectives with the Brookhaven Police Department began investigating reports of abuse of children at the Oglethorpe Presbyterian Pre-School and Kindergarten in early May. And on Thursday, 63-year-old Beverly J. Moon and 27-year-old Charles K. Wheeler were taken into custody at the DeKalb County Jail.

The Georgia Division of Family and Children Services and the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning also conducted separate investigations, and their findings confirmed information gathered by Brookhaven detectives.

Police said several witnesses came forward and told authorities that Wheeler, the lead teacher, used “excessive measures” to restrain kids inside the classroom, causing distress. However, no specific injuries were reported.

Based on the witness statements and accounts provided by the parents of the victims, detectives established probable cause to initially charge Wheeler with five counts of cruelty to children in the first degree. After investigators took Wheeler into custody, an additional victim came forward, and detectives charged him with one more count of cruelty to children in the first degree, bringing the total to six counts.

Detectives also determined that Moon, the director of the facility, knew about the alleged abuse and failed to properly report it. She is now facing party to a crime to cruelty to children in the first degree.

Police said the children involved ranged in age from 11 months to 3 years old.