Michelle Schwab, the woman who dropped her 2-year-old son into the cheetah exhibit at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, is a childcare worker, The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. Schwab, according to the Plain Dealer, is as an assistant director for KinderCare, a childcare provider centers in Columbus.
Authorities say she suspended her son over the protective barrier at the zoo prior the drop. Her son broke his leg in the fall, but the cheetahs did not approach him before his parents were able to safely retrieve him from the enclosure.
“[Schwab] is currently home with her family and will remain out of our center while this issue is investigated and addressed,” KinderCare spokeswoman Colleen Moran said in an email statement. “In addition to the agencies looking into this issue, we are looking into the incident further ourselves, as we closely examine issues involving the treatment of children by our employees, even if those incidents arise outside of our centers.”
Schwab is charged with child endangerment and will be arraigned on April 22.