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Baby Hurt At Day Care; Owner Charged

POSTED: 6:31 pm CDT June 27, 2008
UPDATED: 7:07 pm CDT June 27, 2008

Kansas officials shut down an Olathe home day care where police said a baby boy was hurt.

The 7-month-old's father said it will be a long road to recovery for the baby who was shaken.

Jared Melton didn't want to share photos of his young son, Cohen, but he said his once-healthy son is connected to tubes.

He no longer crawls or sits up because of what police said happened at an Olathe day care, Lovable Little People Day Care at 633 S. Montclaire Drive.

"(We) can't point any fingers at anybody at this time, so we'll let the DA handle it on that," Melton said. "That's their job, and that's what they're going to do, get justice for my little guy, and that's what matters."

The owner of the day care, Julie Lynne Christlieb, 36, was charged with aggravated battery Friday in connection with the baby being hurt.

Police said she called them three weeks ago after Cohen was hurt. He spent a week at Children's Mercy Hospital. As doctors did tests, they found bleeding in his brain and eyes, consistent with shaken baby syndrome, Melton said.

"It's real tough. It's real tough. That'd be tough on anybody. That's you baby. That's your kid," Melton said.

A man who answered the door at the day care declined to comment and referred a reporter to their attorney, but he wouldn't give the reporter the attorney's name.

State officials said Christlieb had run a licensed day care from the address for the past six years and she was allowed to care for up to 10 children.

"We're hoping that our little guy will fully recover, but you never know," Melton said.

Melton said it was too early to know how the trauma will affect their son, that only time will tell, and he said, he and his wife will follow the case from start to finish to get justice for their boy.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment suspended Christlieb's day care license, they said.

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