CROSS LANES, W.Va. (WCHS) — A Cross Lanes daycare worker is facing three charges after deputies say they found evidence the woman hit special needs children and spat on a 4-year-old.

Amber Seiler, 29, of Kenova, is charged with two counts of misdemeanor assault in addition to one felony count of assault on a disabled child. The crime carries a possible prison sentence of one to five years. Misdemeanors are punishable by up to one year in prison.

Seiler told a magistrate during her arraignment in Kanawha County Court Thursday night that she currently lives in Poca.

Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office detectives launched the investigation on Oct. 24 after a mother with a child in Seiler’s classroom posted audio on Facebook allegedly captured in the classroom at Cross Lanes Child Care and Learning Center located at 5453 Big Tyler Road.

Detective JR Coleman said he spoke with a former worker at the facility who had an audio recording she captured on her cell phone on June 28. The former worker told Coleman that the audio captured Seiler spitting on a 4-year-old girl in the class and she had witnessed the incident.

The former worker also told the detective she witnessed Seiler on several occasions during the summer strike, punch a 4-year-old special needs girl in the mouth and yell at her during her sleep.

The woman also said she saw Seiler punch a 4-year-old in the mouth in September and witnessed similar behavior against the child and other children between April and September of this year.

Ashley Shaffer, who made the original Facebook post shared thousands of times, said she can rest easy knowing Seiler can’t hurt her child or anyone else’s. Shaffer said the classroom was made up entirely of 4-year-olds.

“I’m so grateful to have such an amazing platform on social media. We all came together and had over 50,000 people watch my video. Without social media, I honestly don’t think justice would be done,” Shaffer told Eyewitness News. .

Shaffer also believes the director of the facility should be held accountable and should be jailed.

Late Friday, the West Virginia Department of Human Services said it had launched an “immediate investigation” into allegations of misconduct posted on social media.

The DoHS Office of Social Services said it had sent investigators to the facility.

“Our top priority is the safety and well-being of children in West Virginia’s foster care. We take these allegations very seriously and are committed to taking swift and severe action based on the findings,” Cynthia Persily, secretary of the West Virginia Department of Human Services, said in the news release. “Our team is dedicated to ensuring that all care facilities meet the highest standards of safety and conduct.”

The DoHS said it would determine any necessary action based on its findings, which could include further law enforcement involvement or closing the facility.

The agency urged the public to report any suspected child abuse and neglect directly through the Centralized Child Abuse and Neglect Service by calling 1-800-352-6513.

In June 2021, a DHHR official said a report of abuse at the facility by another worker was not substantiated after woman was charged with battery and accused of pushing a 2-year-old child to the ground and grabbing his face.

“There was no substantiation of the official complaint of abuse regarding Cross Lanes Child Care and Learning Center by the Institutional Investigation Unit (IIU),” Jessica Holstein, deputy director of communications, said at the time.

According to court records, Jacklyn Williams was found not guilty of the charge in February 2022 following a bench trial.

Seiler is being held in the South Central Regional Jail on $50,000 cash or surety in addition to two $1,500 cash or surety bonds for misdemeanors. If she posts bail, she should be under house arrest and have no contact with any minors.

Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for November 6 at 1 p.m