Arrested Fort Myers daycare employee says her actions were ‘inexcusable’

Royal Crown Academy in Fort Myers is under investigation after children inside were left alone for a period of time Saturday.

“As a parent, I feel like I let her down, that I made a bad decision coming here. She was left alone over an hour, at least an hour,” said parent Samantha Sheeran.

Four children, ranging in age from nine months to four years old were discovered Saturday with no one supervising them.

“You don’t leave a kid like that, it’s neglect to a child. As a mom, that really hurts,” Sheeran said.

The daycare remained closed Sunday with doors locked as investigators pieced together the puzzle.

MORE: Police swarm Fort Myers daycare Saturday afternoon

Authorities revealed that late Saturday, daycare employee Keajeah Tyre was arrested and booked on four charges of child neglect. She says she walked out one hour after her shift ended because no one else came in to relieve her.

“I was just hoping that everything would be okay. I tried to make everything as safe as possible before I left knowing they were going to be there for a little by themselves. I know there’s nothing right about it,” she said.

Tyre was fired the from the daycare and says her actions leading up to her arrest are inexcusable, especially for the parents of the kids involved.

“I can imagine how they felt, especially when you’re paying for care,” Tyre said.

The DCF had reviewed the daycare as recently as March 6, and found some violations.

The latest reports said background checks for several employees were not on file, something Tyre says is something she never did after getting hired. The report also stated some sharp objects were left out that children could get access to.

The DCF sent the following statement:

“We have opened an institutional child protection investigation into the concerning incident. We have had no prior child protection investigations at the facility and have had no prior involvement with the Ms. Tyre.”

The Academy plans to open back up Monday morning.