A daycare worker in Cleveland was arrested following a fire that broke out late Thursday morning and caused 27 children to have to be evacuated.
The Bradley County Sheriff’s Office responded on Thursday at 11:41 a.m. to a report of an active fire at Little Lambs Daycare on Waterlevel Highway.
The first BCSO unit arrived at approximately 11:42 a.m. The Cleveland Police Department, Bradley EMS, and Bradley County Fire Rescue also responded to the scene immediately.
While responders were removing children from the building, they noticed open beer containers present in the room. Based on this evidence and further questioning, they believed the daycare worker to be under the influence of alcohol. The employee also admitted to consuming multiple alcoholic beverages while working at the daycare center on Thursday.
James Roger Carpenter Jr. was arrested and charged with 27 counts of child neglect. He is currently being held on a $135,000 bond at the Bradley County Jail.
The Bradley County School System provided a bus and transported the children to Ocoee Middle School to be safely picked up by parents and guardians.
The Bradley County Sheriff’s Office would like to acknowledge the BCSO deputies of the 200 shift, BCSO Traffic Team, Cleveland Police Department, Bradley EMS, Bradley County Fire Rescue, and Bradley County 911 Center for their immediate response and involvement during this call, which resulted in the safe evacuation of 27 children with no injuries.
The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.
James Roger Carpenter