Criminal charges filed against Republic day care

Criminal charges were filed Tuesday against a Republic day care accused of operating without a license.

Little Tots Learning Center, LLC and Heidi R. Staeger, 37, were charged with several counts of operating a child care facility without a license, which is a Class A misdemeanor.

Staeger and her former employee Shannon Kelley, 42, were also charged with two counts of misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child after police say 5-year-old twins in their care were found wandering in the street in August.

Republic police say Staeger operated unlicensed day cares at two locations in the city — the former Mr. Biggs restaurant at 517 E. Elm St. and Destiny Church at 526 E. Harrison St.

According to a probable cause statement, Staeger did not have a state or city license to run the day cares on Elm Street or Harrison Street.

She did have a license to operate a day care at 800 W. State Highway 174 in Republic, according to the statement.

The statement says the Department of Health and Senior Services told Staeger to shut down the Harrison Street location in 2012, which she did briefly before reopening.

This summer, authorities visited the locations on Harrison Street and Elm Street and found at least eight children at both places, according to the statement.

Staeger is listed as the registered agent for Little Tots Learning Center, LLC on the Missouri Secretary of State website.

A news release from the Greene County Prosecutor's Office says the charges were the result of a collaborative investigation involving the Republic Police Department, the Children's Division and the Department of Health and Senior Services.

Class A misdemeanors are punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of $1,000.