SHAWNEE, Kan. — Prosecutors in Johnson County have dropped a felony child abuse charge brought against a Shawnee day care operator, citing new evidence that showed the child was unharmed when he left her care.
A petition for expungement shows that the decision to dismiss the case came last month in the case of 55-year-old Katherine Konon.
The charge filed in 2019 accused Konon of striking a 6-month-old boy, causing a brain bleed. Tom Bath, Konon's defense attorney, said Konon has always maintained her innocence and is evaluating her options after losing a business she ran for more than a decade and incurring court-related costs.
The baby's parents claimed he was covered in vomit and had red marks on his face when he was picked up from day care. But a court motion filed in March said an assistant prosecutor became aware of a photograph taken by a relative of the child shortly after leaving the day care.
In the photo, the baby did not appear to have markings on his face and was not covered in vomit as his parents suggested, Bath said in a court motion.
