HOPKINSVILLE (KY)
WHOP-AM [Hopkinsville KY]
January 5, 2025
By Hannah Hageman
The Kentucky Supreme Court has upheld the sentences of two Hopkinsville woman who were convicted in the abuse of children at the First United Methodist Church Daycare in 2018.
According to the Office of Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman, the abuse was first reported in 2018 with when 27-year-old Allison Simpson—who was the primary teacher in the daycare—would regularly throw children down onto the floor when she was upset with the child, and would ‘pat’ the child so roughly that it made co-workers believe she was beating them. They reported the instances to parents, who in turn contacted the Hopkinsville Police Department.
An investigation began, and after reviewing roughly 1,000 hours of footage, police arrested both Simpson at 57-year-old Nina Morgan, who also worked in the nursery. Ultimately, the two were convicted in 2022, with Simpson sentenced to serve a 20-year prison sentence and Morgan sentenced to one-year.
Both appealed those convictions, but the Supreme Court has ruled to uphold those sentences. Former Daycare Director Abby Leach was also found guilty of six counts of criminal abuse in the second degree and two counts of third-degree criminal abuse in the case.
Former Pastor Paige Williams was originally found guilty of eight counts of third-degree abuse, but the Kentucky Court of Appeals issued a ruling in August of 2024 that the judgment would be reversed. The Court of Appeals reversed the conviction, contending that Williams did not have “actual custody” of any of the children involved in the case that began in 2019. It states that Williams never had direct care of control over the children in the First United Methodist Church Daycare program, did not work within the daycare and was not involved in the care of the children on a daily basis.
The reversal clears her of those charges.