Former Las Cruces childcare worker charged with child abuse; court records outline alleged incidents
Former Las Cruces childcare worker Jennifer Hernandez faces seven felony child abuse charges after police reviewed surveillance video at a local daycare.
Police say surveillance video at a Las Cruces daycare shows multiple alleged acts involving a boy under 10 during about a 10-minute period
Damien Willis, Organ Mountain News
LAS CRUCES - A former Las Cruces childcare worker faces seven felony charges after police say surveillance video from a local daycare shows multiple alleged acts involving a young child.
Jennifer Hernandez, 27, is charged with seven counts of intentional child abuse without great bodily harm, each a third-degree felony. Hernandez was arrested Wednesday, March 4, and booked into the Doña Ana County Detention Center, where she was initially held without bond.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Doña Ana County Magistrate Court, Hernandez was working as a Pre-K teacher at Discovery Development Center, 3300 Del Rey Blvd., when the alleged incidents occurred.
Investigators say the allegations stem from surveillance video recorded inside a classroom at the childcare center on Dec. 9, 2025. Police said the video appears to show multiple alleged incidents involving a boy under the age of 10 within a span of about 10 minutes, according to court records.
The statement of probable cause says a Las Cruces police detective reviewed the video and documented several actions that investigators believe constitute physical abuse. The conduct described in the records includes striking the child with a classroom pointer, hitting the child with an open hand and using the metal leg of a chair to strike the child in the chest.
Additional alleged acts described in the court records include striking the child on the hands and face with the pointer and poking the child with the object until the child fell, according to the probable cause statement.
Each alleged act forms the basis for one of the seven felony counts filed against Hernandez.
Police said the investigation began in late February after the child’s parents, who live outside Las Cruces city limits, contacted the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office. Because the alleged incidents occurred within the city, the case was referred to Las Cruces police.
Investigators later obtained surveillance footage from Discovery Development Center as part of the investigation.
Las Cruces police said the alleged abuse did not result in great bodily harm.
Police also said the ownership and management of the daycare center have been cooperative with investigators.
The investigation remains ongoing, and police said additional charges are possible.
Damien Willis is founder and editor of Organ Mountain News. He can be reached at OrganMountainNews@gmail.com or on X at @damienwillis.
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