Champlin daycare provider accused of breaking baby’s leg

MINNEAPOLIS – A 4-month-old child broke her leg while at an in-home daycare in Champlin, according to charges filed Monday in Hennepin County District Court.

Judith Irene Pearson, 65, of Champlin, is charged with third-degree assault causing substantial bodily harm and malicious punishment of a child, both felonies.

The complaint, signed by Champlin Police Officer Joel Rodriguez and Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Dan Allard, says the child suffered a fractured femur on her right leg after being in the care of Pearson.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services temporarily suspended Pearson’s daycare license shortly after the incident was reported to police.

According to the complaint:

The child’s mother noticed the baby was irritable, crying and not moving her right leg after picking her up from Pearson’s Champlin in-home daycare in November 2025.

Pearson told the mother that another child had pulled the baby’s leg around 1 p.m. that day.

However, that explanation did not explain the injuries, according to a doctor that examined the child.

“Femur fractures in 4-month-old children are extremely unusual and suggest a high degree of force, which is well beyond what would be seen in routine care or from a 2 to 3 year old child,” the doctor wrote in his report. "There is no family history, radiographic, or laboratory data to suggest an underlying bone disease. Given the lack of sufficient trauma history, [Victim’s] presentation is clinically diagnostic of child abuse."

Pearson was the only adult in the home during the time the child was at daycare, according to law enforcement.

Her first appearance is scheduled for April 2 at 1:10 p.m. at the Hennepin County Public Safety Facility, Rm. 141.