CHICORA — “Bossy” and “strict” is how former employees of Sheryl Buffington’s Daycare and Preschool Palace in Center Township described a co-worker accused of fracturing an infant’s elbow at a preliminary hearing Tuesday, Jan. 2.

Witnesses testified during the hearing in front of District Judge Lewis Stoughton that Taylor Titley’s “aggressive” behavior toward the children was known among staff and supervisors.

Witnesses, which included the injured 6-month-old baby’s father and Titley’s former co-workers, alleged Titley would drop children, ages 6 months to 2 years, onto the ground from 3 to 4 feet in the air and become “agitated” when they would not sleep.

Titley, 29, of Butler, was charged in September with five counts each of felonies aggravated assault and child endangerment, and misdemeanors simple assault and reckless endangerment.

Stoughton held over all charges to the Butler County Court of Common Pleas.

On Tuesday, David DiGiacomo, the baby’s father, said his son had no physical problems when he was left in Titley’s care the morning of June 13, 2023.

When he returned that afternoon, he observed Titley sitting with his son and supporting his arm.

“She said he became fussy that afternoon,” he said. “He wasn’t really a fussy child.”

DiGiacomo described his son crying abnormally and “squawking” when he lifted his arm to give him a bottle.

“He was screaming very loud,” he said.

MedExpress workers initially told DiGiacomo his son was experiencing “nursemaids elbow.” When the 6-month-old’s crying continued into the next day, his father said he scheduled an appointment at Allegheny Health Network in Wexford. Doctors told him the infant suffered a fractured elbow.

This resulted in DiGiacomo taking his son to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh for further care.

Trooper Dylan Burkarth testified the documents he received from Children’s Hospital about the incident noted the fracture was “new and acute.”

Assistant district attorney J.P. Kulzer asked DiGiacomo if anyone was aggressive toward the infant after day care that day, to which he replied no one was.

Burkarth said he interviewed 12 witnesses for the case, including Titley. The majority of testimony heard Tuesday was from former employees of the day care center.

The first witness was Carissa Pennington, who testified she was terminated for failure to report Titley’s alleged actions.

Pennington said during testimony that Titley was sometimes “productive” with the infants in her care but would become agitated when they wouldn’t sleep during nap time.

“When they didn’t stick to her schedule, she got frustrated. If they were staying on their mats, it’d be fine,” she said.

She explained the infants were to sleep on mats from 12:30 p.m. to around 3 p.m., and that she saw Titley place bean bags on an infant’s back to keep them down.

“(Titley) said the child was crying obnoxiously and she didn’t want them to wake the children up,” Pennington said.

She said she also witnessed Titley drop children onto their mats nearly 20 times, sometimes from 3 feet in the air.

“I would see her getting frustrated with kids and asked if I could help; she never wanted help,” she said. “She ruled that room.”

Kearstin Kennedy, another former employee, said she also saw Titley toss an infant onto a mat, and she thought Titley disliked him.

“She would refuse to change him; she would refuse to feed him,” she said.

Kennedy said she brought Titley’s conduct to her supervisors, and that she was belittled.

“It would be made out to believe you weren’t telling the truth,” she said of other instances.

Another time, Kennedy said she witnessed Titley wrap an infant’s head in a blanket to support his bottle during nap time, which was against protocol.

Emily Kennedy, Kearstin’s sister, said she also worked at the day care during that time, and she could see Titley from the toddler room where she worked. The two rooms were separated by a low wall, she explained.

She described Titley grabbing infants by one arm off the floor and throwing them onto pillows from 3 feet in the air.

“I saw some of the stuff go on, and I told (Sheryl Buffington) about it and after a few days nothing was done,” she said. The incidents caused the Kennedys to resign.

“I didn’t feel comfortable in that workplace,” Kearstin Kennedy said.