A former preschool teacher in New Mexico has been arrested after authorities say security footage from a daycare facility allegedly showed her striking a young child multiple times with various objects.
Jennifer Hernandez, 27, was taken into custody this week and charged with seven counts of intentional child abuse, according to officials. Each charge is classified as a third-degree felony, which carries potential penalties of up to 3 years in prison and fines of up to $5,000.
The case began earlier this year when deputies with the Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation after a child’s parents reported that their son had been abused by an employee at a daycare facility. Authorities said the incident occurred at the Discovery Development Centre located on Del Rey Boulevard.
During the early stages of the investigation, deputies discovered that the alleged victim lived outside the city limits of Las Cruces. Because of jurisdictional boundaries, the case was transferred to the Las Cruces Police Department for further investigation.
According to a news release from police, a detective reviewing the allegations obtained surveillance footage from the daycare center. Investigators say the video appeared to show several incidents of “physical abuse at the hands of Hernandez, upon a boy under the age of 10.”
Police said all of the alleged incidents took place during the early morning hours of December 9, 2025. While the actions captured on video were described as violent, authorities noted that the child did not suffer what the department classified as “great bodily harm.”
Officials also said that the Discovery Development Center cooperated fully with investigators once the allegations surfaced. Court documents obtained by the Texas-based television station KFOX provide further details about what investigators say was captured on the footage.
According to those documents, the video allegedly shows Hernandez “picking up a blue chair with metal legs and striking the male child… in his chest with the metal chair leg.” Investigators also claim the footage shows Hernandez hitting the child in the face “with an open hand” and striking him “in the head with a black and purple pointer.”
The documents further state that, later in the video, Hernandez allegedly continued hitting the child with the pointer “until he falls to the ground.” Following the investigation, Hernandez was arrested on Wednesday and booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center. She was initially held without bond.
However, jail records indicated that by Friday afternoon, she was no longer listed as an inmate at the facility. Authorities said the investigation remains ongoing as detectives continue reviewing evidence and witness statements. Police added that additional charges could still be filed depending on the outcome of the continuing investigation.
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