PLAINVIEW, Minn. - Childcare employee, Bobbi Sievers, tells her story of how the county's social services and Plainview police temporarily shut down Pamela Jo's daycare without any approval or documentation from the state.
Body camera footage, provided by owner Pamela Lang, shows Wabasha County social workers and Plainview Police officers arriving at Lang's in-home daycare on May 13, 2022 to investigate two allegations. The Department of Human Services said the group responded to claims of force feeding and children having access to animal feces.
Employee Bobbi Sievers answered the door stunned to not only see three social workers but two police officers standing in front of her.
"What is going on? What happened? Is there a parent that was hurt and someone was coming to collect their kid? I had so many thoughts running through my mind," said Sievers.
A social worker explained to her the county received a report involving the daycare and would need to further investigate.
"There will be a suspension. We don't have paperwork from the state right now, but the paper work will likely be coming," said one social worker.
The group showed up to the business five days before a Temporary Immediate Suspension went into effect on March 18th. The Department of Human Services issued the suspension and Lang received the letter on May 17th.
According to a court document involving Lang needing to pay a fine to regain her license, its states, "The County, as a child protection matter, determined to immediately shut down the program, prior to arriving at the home."
Lang was out of town that Friday, so Sievers went inside the house to retrieve paperwork to bring back to social services. Not once throughout the footage did she tell the group they can enter the house.
Once Sievers was inside, a police officer asked a social worker, "Are you cool not going in right now? Yes or no?"
After not answering, the officer begins to walk towards the front door. Then, the social worker said, "good point."
Without showing any documentation from the state or proof of the two allegations existing, the group attempts to walk inside until Sievers stops them momentarily.
"I was shocked they were entering the home. I knew Wabasha County could enter the home because we were doing a daycare, but when the police came in I was like woah why are you entering this daycare without justification?," said Sievers.
Social workers proceeded to call families to come pick up every single kid marking May 13, 2022 as the last day the daycare was open.
Plainview Police Chief Jason Timm referred KIMT News 3 to Lang's appeal to the Temporary Immediate Suspension.
The document states, "The County and the Department have complied with all the substantive and procedural requirements of law and rule."
The Wabasha County Administrator shared the following statement:
"Ms. Lang has exhausted multiple avenues of appeal regarding her concerns and her licensing issue. The Minnesota Department of Human Services has ruled in the County’s favor regarding the licensing issue and found that Ms. Lang’s concerns have not been supported by evidence. At this point the County considers the matter to be final and does not have any additional comment."
Lang went to court twice over the TIS.
The first time, the judge recommended to rescind the suspension. However, DHS went against the recommendation because Lang didn't, "take sufficient concrete action regarding her employee, who was alleged to have caused the serious harm to a child, immediately after the incident."
Former Wabasha County daycare questions social services and police actions | News | kimt.com