Crystal daycare teacher charged in child slap
Javell Lena Cooper, 24, of Coon Rapids, has been charged in Hennepin County with two counts of malicious punishment of a child after surveillance video allegedly showed her slapping a 3-year-old’s ear at a church-based daycare in Crystal. The incident occurred July 25, 2025, at a facility on the 5000 block of West Broadway; the child’s parent reported finding their child crying, and later the family and church provided video to police. The complaint also notes the child previously came home with ear bruising about a year earlier.
📌 Key Facts
- Defendant: Javell Lena Cooper, 24, of Coon Rapids
- Charges: two counts of malicious punishment of a child (Hennepin County)
- Incident date/location: July 25, 2025 at a daycare in a church on the 5000 block of W. Broadway, Crystal
- Evidence: surveillance footage allegedly shows Cooper slapping the child’s ear while seated and looking at a tablet
- Parent initially told another child caused the crying; child later said the teacher struck them