AUGUSTA COUNTY, Va. (ROCKTOWN NOW) – The Stuarts Draft daycare owner who was arrested after a young child died in her care is set to enter a plea in the case this afternoon.
Online records show that Denise Machelle Stewart is scheduled for a two o’clock appearance in Augusta County Circuit Court.
The 53-year-old Stewart is facing 15 counts, including 13 related to child abuse.
According to the sheriff’s office, deputies responded to her home daycare in October 2022 for reports of an unresponsive infant. Emergency workers could not revive the child.
An investigation failed to prove that she caused the death.
However, most of the charges stemmed from Stewart exceeding the state-mandated child-to-adult ratio.
