2 arrested after video shows girl, 5, dangled upside down by teacher, bullied by older kids

WORTHINGTON, Ohio - Columbus police arrested two Ohio educators on charges of endangering children after detectives viewed troubling surveillance video from the learning center where the educators were employed, according to the Columbus Division of Police.

The video, recorded on Aug. 13 at the Worthington Learning Center, shows employees Emma Dietrich, 31, and Joshua Tennant, 27, sitting idly by as other students bullied a 5-year-old girl.

At 11:21 a.m., one of Dietrich’s older students brings the 5-year-old victim into Dietrich’s classroom.

Older students could be seen in the video grabbing, pulling, dragging and swinging the victim, who appears frightened and keeps her eyes closed or covered through the attacks, attempting to curl up into a fetal position.

As this was occurring, Dietrich and Tennant could be seen in the video sitting in chairs at a table nearby watching the older kids gang up on the 5-year-old victim without attempting to intervene.

The video captured Tennant then picking the victim up by her right ankle, eventually grabbing her left leg as well, and carrying her upside down before placing her back on a rug.

The Columbus Police Department’s investigation is ongoing, but pictures and a release of the incident were shared to its social media pages because “we want to share with you the severity of what [a] little girl endured,” a Facebook post read.

The Worthington Learning Center has been cooperative through the Columbus police investigation, according to the Facebook post.