Former Moberly daycare owner pleads guilty to child endangerment ahead of trial

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) -

A former daycare operator pleaded guilty to four felonies Monday ahead of her bench trial on child abuse charges in Randolph County.

Naomi Hess pleaded guilty on Monday to four counts of first-degree child endangerment. The class D felonies carry a maximum seven-year prison sentence. Hess will be sentenced on November 4.

Hess was set to go to a bench trial on Monday on four counts of child abuse. Police arrested her in 2024 after a witness reported that she had slapped a child's back. Law enforcement also claimed videos showed Hess, who ran the Play N' Learn daycare, lying over a child, forcefully handling children to sit or lie down.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education told ABC 17 News that Hess had voluntarily handed over her facility's child care license while it was being investigated.

Hess's attorney, Andrew Popplewell, said she entered an open guilty plea. That means Judge Mason Gebhardt will have the full range of punishment to consider at sentencing, rather than being bound by an agreement.