Day care worker threatened to cut off child's leg, gets fired, arrested, say Colo. cops

(CBS) COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - A Colorado Springs day care teacher faces multiple charges, including child abuse, after she allegedly stuck a knife to a crying child's leg and asked if she should cut it off.

Suzanne Warmington, 34, was booked Thursday on charges of child abuse, reckless endangerment and a felony charge of menacing, CBS Denver reported.

Building Blocks Child Care confirms that Warmington was also fired following an investigation into the May 21 incident.

According to an arrest affidavit, two witnesses say they saw Warmington pull out a knife and hold it against a 6-year-old girl's knee, then tell the child that she would cut her leg off if the little girl didn't stop crying, CBS Denver reported.

The incident was first reported to day care director Lori McQueen by McQueen's 10-year-old daughter. Her account was then corroborated by another day care teacher who told the director she saw the whole incident, the station reported.

After being reprimanded by McQueen, the arrest affidavit says that Warmington claimed to have only held her knife up to her own child's finger.

Rather than seeming remorseful, the affidavit says Warmington then took on a sarcastic attitude with McQueen after the director asked Warmington to take the knife to her car.

Warmington complied, then held up her keychain and in a derisive tone told the director, "See, I only have keys!"

In an interview with the victim on May 31, the little girl told police that she had approached Warmington after hurting her knee, only to have her teacher tell her snidely, "Here, let me cut it off," while holding a knife to her knee.

When asked how she felt about having her teacher put a knife on her knee, the child told police she felt "sad."

During an interview with Warmington Thursday, police say she changed her story several times before finally admitting to the allegations. The arrest affidavit says Warmington gave detectives the pocket knife she allegedly used.

Warmington was then taken into custody. Records indicate she has since bonded out.