Two former daycare employees who pleaded guilty to multiple child abuse charges appeared in court Monday as testimony continued ahead of their upcoming sentencing.
Kailey Gilley and Magan Koker, former workers at Happy Hearts Christian Academy Daycare in Daleville, entered guilty pleas in October following an investigation into allegations of abuse involving several children. The pleas were entered as blind pleas, meaning no sentencing agreement was guaranteed.
During the hearing before Judge William Fillmore, parents and an investigator testified about the impact of the abuse. One mother described watching surveillance footage that investigators say shows both defendants striking her child. The child was later found to have bruising and swelling when picked up from the daycare, prompting a hospital referral and a police investigation.
An investigator testified that multiple children were mistreated, with one child reportedly suffering the most severe abuse. Parents told the court their children continue to experience emotional trauma, including night terrors and difficulty adjusting to new childcare environments. Several witnesses noted many of the children were too young to speak at the time and could not report what was happening.
Court records show Gilley admitted to 10 counts of child abuse, while Koker pleaded guilty to 12 counts. Under Alabama law, sentencing will be determined by the judge after hearing from victims, mental health professionals, and other witnesses.
Public records from the Alabama Department of Human Resources do not list an active daycare in Daleville operating under the Happy Hearts name, and the phone number associated with the facility is no longer in service.
Judge Fillmore is scheduled to hear additional testimony in early January before issuing sentences in the case.
Emergency crews are responding to a serious traffic collision at the intersection of U.S. Highway 231 and Eddins Road involving a semi-truck and a passenger vehicle.
Law enforcement and first responders have been dispatched to the scene. Authorities confirm that serious injuries have been reported, though the condition of the individual(s) involved has not yet been released.
Motorists are advised to avoid the area and expect traffic delays while emergency crews work the scene and conduct an investigation.
More information will be provided as it becomes available.
UPDATE: 12:04 PM The Rehobeth Rescue Squad transported two patients under trauma alert to the Medical Center. Their current conditions have not been publicly released.
I hold a Doctorate in Education with a specialty in school improvement. I have worked with every school system in the state of Alabama. I was one of the authors of Alabama’s state accountability system, the state and federal report cards, and Alabama’s ESSA plan. I authored guidance for school systems at both the state and federal levels. I taught at Dothan High School. I worked with teachers, support staff, administration, and students to get two schools out of school improvement. In other words, I am not speculating from the sidelines. I helped design the very frameworks being cited to justify the decisions in the 100 day plan. I understand what it takes to make systemic change to improve schools.
External consultants are not, by default, a best practice. They are a tool, sometimes appropriate, sometimes unnecessary, and often misused. When districts repeatedly turn outward without first stabilizing, supporting, and empowering internal capacity, it is not innovation; it is avoidance.
The persistent challenges in Dothan City Schools are not a mystery that requires national discovery. They are well-documented, well-understood, and deeply rooted in systemic decisions, resource allocation, and organizational priorities, many of which originate at the central office level. Hiring consultants while simultaneously expanding central office positions does not relieve pressure on classrooms, does not reduce teacher workload, and does not directly address the daily realities faced by students and educators. Reducing teacher planning time or continuously taking teachers’ planning time is a recipe for continued undesirable results.
Poverty, mobility, and community challenges are real. However, they are not unique to Dothan, nor do they absolve leadership of responsibility. Alabama has districts with similar demographics that are making progress without creating layers of external dependency. Sustainable improvement comes from strong internal leadership, clear instructional coherence, and direct investment in school-based staff, not from outsourcing responsibility under the banner of “best practice.”
Invoking accountability systems I helped build to justify these choices is especially troubling when those same systems emphasize capacity building, local ownership, and fiscal responsibility. Consultants do not teach children. Teachers do. Principals do. Support staff do. And when resources are diverted away from them, we should be honest about the consequences.
This is not an indictment of educators. I have spent my career advocating for them. It is a call for integrity in decision-making. True leadership does not chase national names for cover; it does the hard work of fixing what is broken from within.
Our students deserve more than expensive symbolism. They deserve relief where the work actually happens and leadership that trusts, equips, and respects the professionals already serving them every day.
DALEVILLE: 07:26 AM Daleville 911 dispatched Daleville Volunteer Fire, Daleville Rescue, Daleville Police to a structure fire, 650 W. Forest Park Road in Daleville. The reports are the trailer is fully engulfed.
Daleville Fire has requested mutual aid assistance from surrounding agencies. Houston County 911 paged Wicksburg Fire – Rescue mutual aid asssitance. 07:46 AM Wicksburg Fire – Rescue Chief Broc Collins is enroute with a fire truck and a second fireman is responding on his personal car.
If anyone has any additional information or scene pictures TEXT RICKEY 334-790-1729.
DOTHAN- A juvenile involved in a stabbing incident Sunday evening in Dothan will not face criminal charges, according to police.
The incident occurred shortly before 6:30 p.m. near the intersection of Fortner Street and Twin Lakes Drive.
Dothan Police Major Will Glover said the teen was walking along Fortner Street when multiple adults approached and began harassing him. During the confrontation, one of the adults was stabbed in the neck.
The injured individual was transported to a local hospital for treatment and is expected to recover.
After reviewing the circumstances surrounding the incident, authorities determined the stabbing was self-defense, and no charges will be filed against the juvenile.
DOTHAN – HOUSTON COUNTY: 6:23 PM Houston County 911 and Dothan 911 dispatched an edged weapon assault on Fortner Street near Twin Lakes Drive. Houston County 911 dispatched Rehobeth Fire – Rescue and Taylor Volunteer Fire, Houston County Sheriff Deputies and Dothan Police responded. ALEA Trooper also on the scene.
The edged weapon assault victim went unconscious and was a load and go to Flowers Hospital. Law Enforcement followed the ambulance to the hospital.
A suspect was reported on Christian Lane. Officers were on the scene by 6:29 PM. By 6:47 PM law enforcement officers had the suspect in custody.
It is unknown of this case is a Dothan Police or Houston County Sheriff case to be primary agency to handle the investigation. Fortner Street goes in and out of the Dothan City limits. Until then the two agencies are working together.
The patient condition is critical. Reports are stab wound to the neck.
6:49 PM Dothan Police states the case is Dothan Police jurisdiction for primary investigation.
UPDATED @ 6:58 PM
Law Enforcement Officers are walking the area from Christian Lane to Twin Lakes searching for the weapon.
UPDATED @ 7:08 PM
According to the Houston County Revenue Commissioner Office Twin Lakes and Christian Lane is in Dothan City Limits.
