DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston has announced the convictions of three defendants who pleaded guilty in connection with alleged abuse at a Stone Mountain daycare center.
Alexis Renee Swain, 28, pleaded guilty to 29 counts of Cruelty to Children in the First Degree. Cori Chambers, 21, pleaded guilty to five counts of Cruelty to Children in the First Degree. Cassandra Artis Chambers, 56, pleaded guilty to one count of Failure to Report Suspected Child Abuse.
The investigation began on June 22, 2022, after a parent reported discovering injuries on her child’s face. Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators revealed repeated abuse by the defendants over three days. Swain was seen hitting, pushing, and shaking children and slamming them onto various surfaces. Cori Chambers was also recorded engaging in similar abusive behavior. Cassandra Chambers, the daycare director, failed to report the abuse despite reviewing the surveillance video herself.
The charges are related to 13 victims aged between six months and nearly three years old.
A fourth defendant, Cherretta Hull, 78, is still awaiting trial after being indicted on December 19, 2023, for 19 counts of Cruelty to Children in the First Degree.
Chief Judge LaTisha Dear Jackson sentenced Cassandra Chambers to 12 months probation and 80 hours of community service. Cori Chambers received a sentence of ten years probation with the first 120 days under house arrest and an additional requirement of completing 80 hours of community service. Despite recommendations for a longer sentence by the State's prosecution team led by Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Lauren Caldwell and Senior Assistant District Attorney Shannon Hodder, Swain was sentenced to ten years with five years in custody.
As part of their sentences, all three defendants are prohibited from caring for any children outside their immediate family.
District Attorney Sherry Boston expressed her dissatisfaction with Swain's sentence: "The defendants in this case victimized some of DeKalb County’s most precious residents... We feel the sentence is far too short considering the long-term and continuing effects of the abuse these children and their families are suffering."
The case was prosecuted by members from DeKalb County’s Sexual Exploitation and Crimes Against Children Unit with assistance from former DeKalb County Police Department Detective Monesha Hughes.