Daycare Owner Sentenced for Hiding Kids Behind Fake Wall

A woman who kept more than two dozen kids behind a false wall in a basement was sentenced to six years in prison Thursday. Carla Faith was found guilty of 26 counts of child abuse, and some other charges, including running a daycare without a license, in August. Police found the kids at a house at the Colorado Springs woman’s Mountain Play Place facility in November 2019, following up on tips that she had more kids there than the six her license allowed. Faith told an officer that there were no kids on the property, even though music and crying could be heard, the Denver Post reports. Another officer found a false wall blocking stairs to a basement, which was full of kids. She also said the stack of backpacks in a closet were for a soccer team, per CourtTV.

There were 25 children in the basement, and 12 kids were under 2 years old. Faith was only allowed to have two kids that young in her care. Police say many of the kids needed a diaper change, and they were sweaty and thirsty when they were found. Faith’s lawyer, Josh Tolini, said she kept accepting kids when parents would ask her to look after them, and made “incredibly poor decisions,” per the Denver Post. An employee, Christina Swauger, was also convicted and is awaiting sentencing. (More weird crimes stories.)