Nurse accused of sex crime against 2-year-old
SIMPSONVILLE, SC (WSPA)- A woman has been accused of a sex crime with a 2-year-old, according to Simpsonville Police.
Peggy Louise Atkins has been charged with Sexual Conduct with a minor 3rd degree.
Police say it happened on April 18.
The foster parent of the toddler says the child’s nurse had the child in an inappropriate position.
Atkins was employed by a company hired by Medicare.
The warrant says Atkins “… willfully and lewdly commit lewd or lascivious act upon or with the body of a 2-year-old female victim (EM), with the intent of arousing, appealing to, or gratifying the list, passions, or sexual desires of the defendant.”
The warrant says probable cause came from witness statements and photographic evidence.
Atkins is in the Greenville Co. Detention Center with no bond.
The victim was abused and left paralyzed a year ago. The 2-year-old’s birth mother tells us she believes her daughter’s suffering could have been prevented.
“It is very devastating. It is heartbreaking,” Kaya Thomas said.
Kaya says her 2-year-old daughter can’t move or speak and needs daily medical care. Last year, she was left paralyzed from her father’s abuse. After her baby went to the hospital, the state never let her bring her home.
“They think that I put her at risk for letting it happen to her,” she explained. “And I don’t have a car and I have a 4-year-old. How will I take care of my 4-year-old and my child with special needs now that she has because of her injuries?”
Her baby was put in DSS custody. She says she visited her foster home often but last week she was denied that visit. That’s when she found out her child had been through even more traumatic abuse.
“You know, my daughter is going through all of this and I had nothing to do with it and I am being held accountable for something I had nothing to do with,” she added. “I just want my daughter to come back home, and I’ll just be fighting for her.”
Kaya is speaking out because she believes if her daughter would have been at her home it never would have happened. She says she has been fighting for the last year to get her baby back home and out of DSS care.
“I love my child and I would never let anything happen to her.”
Kaya has other children that are not in DSS custody. DSS told us they cannot comment on their case.
“I just want people to know that my child is out there getting hurt. It doesn’t need to be just my voice. There needs to be a lot of other voices out there,” Kaya said about wanting others to join in her fight. “She can’t say I’m being hurt or this hurts or stop or no.”