Prosecutors drop child abuse charge against day care owner

SHAWNEE, Kan. (AP) — Prosecutors in Johnson County have dropped a felony child abuse charge brought against a Shawnee day care operator, citing new evidence that showed the child was unharmed when he left her care. The Kansas City Star reported Thursday that the decision came last month in the case of 55-year-old Katherine Konon. The charge filed in 2019 accused Konon of striking a 6-month-old boy, causing a brain bleed. Tom Bath, Konon’s defense attorney, says Konon has always maintained her innocence and is evaluating her options after losing a business she ran for more than a decade and incurring court-related costs.