Update: A hearing on the TRO request will be held February 7 in Rankin County Chancery Court.
Hitting kids with rulers, posting pictures of children kissing on social media, and stealing customers are just some of the allegations made in a lawsuit filed against a former owner of a day care center in Brandon.
Jorge Solis operates the Wolf Pups Day Care. Wolf Pups bought After School Care (on George Street in Brandon) from Mary Dotson on October 4, 2023. Dotson agreed to serve as the required licensed Child Care Facility Director until Jorge's wife Brittany obtained her Director's license.
Transitions can sometimes be troublesome and this one was no exception. Beth Winstead was the Director when Dotson sold After School Care. Winstead applied for a job with the new company and provided a copy of a certificate stating she was a licensed Child Care Facility Director. Wolf Pups hired Winstead as Director. The fun soon began for Jorge Solis and his child care center.
Winstead's employment at Wolf Pups was rather short-lived as she submitted her letter of resignation on Friday, November 3. The resignation was effective on November 6. Winstead might have been gone but she was not forgotten as half of Wolf Pups' enrollment suddenly disappeared.
The petition states Wolf Pups enjoyed an enrollment of 50 children (maximum capacity) when Winstead submitted her letter on November 3. The enrollment plunged to 25 children on November 6.
The petition charges Winstead opened her own child care facility at her Brandon home on Owen Boone Road. An employee drove by the home on November 6 and saw 17 children outside Winstead's home. Winstead allegedly told parents their kids would not be safe at Wolf Pups and asked the parents to enroll their children at her home.
Solis claims Winstead's new child care operation lacks a license. A search of the Mississippi State Department of Health's database did not show a child care facility at the Owen Boone Road address. The petition states there is no Director's license for Winstead in the database. The home also lacks the required fence.
The lawsuit accuses Winstead of stealing Wolf Pups clients that she surrendered when she sold the business. However, Solis also accuses Winstead of misconduct as a Child Care Facility Director:
* A video shows Winstead repeatedly striking a toddler's hand with a ruler. She allegedly ordered another employee to do the same.
* Winstead also allegedly posted pictures of children kissing each other on Valentine's Day on Facebook. A parent demanded she take down the pictures but alleged After School Care retaliated against her for doing so.
* An employee said ASC occasionally exceeded the 50 child limit. Winstead allegedly told employees to take the excess number of children to a nearby church or a vehicle when the Health Department inspected the facility.
* The former Director allegedly orchestrated a surprise Health Department inspection that took place on November 9, 2023 at 7:30 AM. Inspector Chrissie Ryals cited Wolf Pups for not having a Director present. However, the petition claims the Inspector is only responsible for Hinds County, not Rankin County. (p. 22 below)
* Wolf Pups commissioned the Pickering Firm to inspect the facility. Pickering issued a report on November 13 showing high levels of lead in the annex building.
The petition seeks a temporary restraining order and injunctive relieft against Beth Winstead for operating an unlicensed child care facility while ignoring the regulations. The TRO should be granted as she allegedly stole trade secrets. The petition also requests the Chancellor enjoin Winstead from disparaging Jorge Solis or Wolf Pups.
The case is assigned to Chancellor John McLaurin. Attorney Lesley Brodhead represents the defendant while attorneys Jeff Reynolds and Jason Kirschberg represent the petitioner.
42 comments:
I’d feel fantastic dropping my toddler off at a place named Wolf Pups.
We have a major national story about water equipment vendors in Mississippi breaking today and you are talking about a daycare in Brandon??????
Knock it off. I've covered Siemens deal plenty of times and more in depth than anyone else, including the Pulitzer Prize winner. I also covered the Arkansas lawsuit where a city accused Siemens of doing the same thing.
I'm probably going to post the story tomorrow as I planned to do.
Daycare is big business. I truly do not understand how a Mom can drop their kid off all day everyday. Just think of the money they would save if they just stayed home, took care of the kids, laid off the Starbucks and lunches out and didn't have to buy fancy clothes for work. It would be like the old days again.
The drama is mighty high on this one.
My child will NEVER be under the care of the Solis’. Many parents didn’t have an opportunity to meet the new owners as they felt they would just show up to work on Monday of the takeover and have the same business that they were buying. Parents are not going to leave their children with someone that they do not know. Many left the daycare to seek other child care options. Beth Winstead is a long standing citizen in the Brandon community. She loves children and cares for them deeply. These allegations are completely untrue. We chose to seek an alternate route for childcare, but had Beth Winstead still been at the daycare, my child would be too.
This appears to be in Puckett. While the actual mailing address may be Brandon, one is not the other.
Puckett is lost.
@3:18
What an idiotic high horse statement. Day care is $1,000 ish dollars per month, if mom works and makes 45k per year then despite that 1000 (largely tax deductible bill).......
she has significantly financially bettered the household by being in the workforce.
Two income households are the norm these days for basic survival. If things were like the old days a family could survive and live comfortably off of one income, but that's not reality. You should try and verse yourself in reality.
Instead of Jorge trying to grow his business, he is too busy tearing the community apart worrying about every one BUT his business. He has no jurisdiction over where parents CHOOSE to send their children.
The lead paint allegation, who was the business owner? Doesn’t this fall on the owner? Which is now the Solis’ people?
Sounds like a big mess! It does make me wonder though… what’s the other side to the story? Parents get to choose where they send their children right? What did the new owners do to promote this business/make themselves known to their clients?
3:18 -
So if my wife makes 80-100k a year, does it make sense for her to be a stay-at-home mom just so we can save the +/- 9k a year we spend on childcare?
@3:32 PM
Thanks for checking in, Beth Winstead!
@4:07
That’s the problem today.
You put money ahead of your children.
The true wealth is your children.
Stop putting their safety and development into the hands of others.
God didn’t create your wife to go into the workplace and take a man’s job.
He created her to be a mother, wife, and faithful servant.
Puckett ain't lost, I know right where it's at. Do you need a map?
This is truly a sad situation for the community. Instead of being a businessman and growing a business now we have a lawsuit filed. This entire situation is terrible for the children in the community of Puckett. This situation has put parents against each other, these kids will play ball, attend dances, and sit in class together. I’ve never seen someone move into a small town and be so arrogant and entitled. Also it has shown some true colors in the community. We should come together as parents and be able to make the decision on where we want our kids to be cared for while we are working. I personally would never send my children where I felt they were not safe. Praying the community can get over this situation for the sake of our children and PRAYING the adults can act like adults and stop all of this PURE DRAMA.
4:16 pm hahahahahahaha great response.
I guess I'm in the dark. Didn't know daycare was so cut throat.
I’m not hiding behind an anonymous name. My name is Brittany Armstrong. My child no longer attends the Solis daycare because it’s my God given right as his mother to decide who I entrust to care for my child. I wouldn’t send my dog to his daycare, much less my child. His arrogance and haughtiness are beyond anything I’ve ever witnessed. Little man syndrome at its finest. My child is nobody’s “trade secret”. Any parent reading this who still attends his daycare should be concerned that he considers your child a number and not a person!
@4:13 PM - Spot on!
3:58 - When my wife and I decided that she could fulfill a dream and be a stay at home mom, we willingly gave up 49% of our income. I can tell you it was inarguably the best decision for us. Maybe not for you, because it does take discipline, doing without some luxuries, and delayed gratification. My wife and I have no regrets. Not one.
I have no wolf in this wolfpack but have known Brittany @5:51 a long time. If she thinks that way, it’s probably as bad as she says. She has no reason to BS about it.
What is wrong with you people!? He never once mentioned that anyone’s child HAS to attend his daycare! He is simply letting the truth be known that was behind closed doors. Friend or not… a child should not be hit with rulers, or forced to kiss other children on the lips, a director is to be licensed and not trying to hide kids when an inspector comes out because they are over the capacity! Makes you wonder what else was going wrong under the care of the previous owner??? Wrong is wrong! Sounds to me the Wolf Pups are trying to run a better state of care for their facility the legit way. Has anyone even given a chance to the new owners to get to know them and find out what their morals are and how they will go about making this center a better place?? I feel if anyone has they wouldn’t be saying half the things on here especially the ones saying they don’t even know the new owners! The new owners are nice and caring, as if they truly want to make a better facility and are concerned for the safety of the children.
Daycare = parents chasing the almighty dollar.
Beth Winstead could have purchased the daycare or anyone else at the time. Sounds like you all are a bunch of Karen’s that want attention. Remember it’s about the kids it’s not about all you KARENS IN THE TOWN. One hand you have a longer time residence of Puckett that has owned the daycare since it opened and decided to sale it apparently, the previous owner was the one to pick the buyers. So she picked the new owners, Beth Winstead could have stopped the sale of the daycare but she never stepped forward. Usually small towns are Bible Belt tight communities but I’m starting to rethink my childhood small town. It turning out to be a very judgmental town.
Exactly. The parents chose to pull our children out of the daycare because they were uncomfortable with strangers keeping their children. When the same women who had kept and help raise their kids where no longer there, they left. It’s as simple as that. Is he spreading “truth” or is he upset because he came into a small town acting like he owned the place, and didn’t receive positive feedback. Everyone is getting defensive over this situation because you are talking about women who are loved and helped raise these peoples kids. Some of the people who actually grew up in the daycare/ Puckett community trusted the same women to care for their own kids, that should speak for itself. Your talking about 30 years of childcare. Regardless, the approach was completely wrong.
4:13, your asinine statements tell me you're an out-of-touch geezer who is completely ignorant of modern economic reality. Single-income households are nearly unfeasible due to the price of homes, cars, food, etc. And I'm talking about the basics, not extravagances.
Also, men don't have a stranglehold on employment and anyone who would use religion as a basis to argue that jobs are "men's jobs" are perverting that religion.
Brittany Armstrong ... Dramatic much?
Wolf pups….lol, man y’all wild.
@7:36
4:13 here.
I am 36 years old and got lucky and married a trad-wife at age 25.
We do without extravagances, but we have traveled all over North America.
I tithe and God has always provided us with blessings.
We have 5 children and a $250,000, 6 bedroom home on 3 acres.
We drive a paid-off Toyota Sienna and 4Runner.
We don't own a TV or iPads or game consoles.
It is not impossible.
@7:36 PM - BS. A family doesn't need two expensive SUVs, membership to fishing/hunting camp, swimming pool, 3,500+ sf home, housekeeper, expensive vacations, weekly filet mignons, expensive wine, etc.
We didn't have a second car until after we had been married for 19 years.
7:37, it’s not your kids and and Brittany A. is the only one with any nuts commenting here so stfu
Daycare robs. It robs the family unit. It robs the connection and bond between a mother and her child, a dynamic that goes beyond just them but also reflects onto the relationship with the father and siblings. It's artificial. It's superficial. It's vanity. It's a scam. Be present for your children, really be there and in tune and listen to what they tell you and want to show you and share with you. Put the phone away and look at them before it's gone.
8:20 living the dream. 8:53 Correct
@8:31
He said none of that. That was your mind talking to you and meant to be internal. Get help.
Just what are we talking about here? Mothers who happen to be businesswomen, or businesswomen who happen to be mothers?
Every woman is at the same time empowered and a victim until something happens, and then she gets to choose one or the other.
And coming up next on The Real Daycares of Rankin County….
It takes two incomes to raise a family? What about all of the single parent homes? How do they do it? How do single people buy a home? Maybe if some of the fathers in the two working people homes would get a decent job their wife would not have to work.
Holy Shittoli! I can see this thread morphing quickly into either a Wednesday night serial on ABC or a game show. LAWD! This thing is bigger than the Richardson Light Show up there in Madison.
And to think Kingfish planned the whole thing!
And coming up next on The Real Daycares of Rankin County….
February 6, 2024 at 3:23 PM
Lordy! It'd be bigger'n Honey Boo Boo.
In fact, they should send Mama June and Nancy Grace down as Show Hosts/Investigative Reporters.
And they could pass by Shiloh Park, to see how the Rankinstankin behavioral inoculation happening in daycare, pays-off in adolescence. Then, they could visit with Goon Squad members, to view some full-blown Rankinstankin.
I saw Maurie Povitch checking in at the first hotel on the right past Miskelly as you go toward the interstate. I bet he's not in town to buy no baseball field!
This is true Puckett drama. This man bought a business. In any other business you would retain staff of your choosing and merchandise, food, whatever. Did the previous owner and director notify the parents that the business was being sold and when the new owner would take possession? That building is nasty. I wouldn’t send my children there no matter who owned it. Talking about how your kids are “unsafe” meanwhile there is evidence of abuse AND you feel safe sending your kids to an uncertified child care place with a ridiculous amount of children with only a couple of workers?? For people to say he was “stalking” or “following” other people you sure do know a lot about him and where he is 🤔 this isn’t even a case of small town supporting each other this is just crazy.
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