Tonya Rachelle Voris, 53, Dade City, Fla.
HANCOCK COUNTY — A former Fortville woman who officials say gave pediatric-strength melatonin to several children at a daycare facility without parental consent in 2022 had her case settled via a plea agreement late last week in Hancock County Superior Court 2.
Tonya Rachelle Voris, 53, Dade City, Fla., was facing 17 charges, including 11 different counts of Level 6 felony neglect of a dependent and six Class B misdemeanor charges of reckless supervision by a child care provider.
Voris admitted guilt on all 17 charges, which caused officials from the Hancock County Prosecutor’s office to request the sentences on each of the seventeen counts run consecutively since there were multiple child victims.
Deputy Prosecutor Abigail Jessup noted in a sentencing memorandum that the separate act of administering the melatonin supplement to each child constitutes a crime under the facts alleged and pled guilty to.
Judge Dan Marshall ended up ordering all terms to run concurrent and handed down a term of 730 days for counts 1, 2 and 3 of the Level 6 felonies with 550 days suspended. The other Level 6 felonies, counts 4 through 11, received together the same 730 days term with 550 days suspended.
As for the remaining six Class B misdemeanor charges, Voris was given a 180-day term for all of those charges with all counts to run concurrently. In the end, Voris will have to serve 180 days, but can shorten that with good behavior.
Marshall noted all counts in this case are to run concurrent. The court also issued a no contact order for the victims.
In the sentencing memorandum, Jessup noted that abusing a position of trust may support imposition of a maximum sentence. Jessup went on to say that it is undisputed that the defendant was in a position of trust with each of the 17 children. The defendant was the children’s daycare director at the time these offenses occurred, making the 17 children completely dependent on her and her staff, which was under her direction.
The prosecutor’s office had asked the court for a term of 1,090 days to be served at the Indiana Department of Corrections (IDOC) with at least 730 to be executed and 180 days suspended to formal probation for counts 1 through 11. As for lesser counts, 12 through 17, the prosecutor’s office asked for 361 days at the IDOC with the days suspended to formal probation.
According to a probable cause affidavit, pastor David M. Faulk of New Life Church, 501 N. Buck Creek Road, Cumberland, reported the crime to authorities. Faulk told officials with the Cumberland Police Department the church operates a day care business under the name Kidz Life Childcare where they are responsible for an estimated 40 children ranging from infants to 4 years old.
Faulk told officials an assistant director of the daycare came to him and expressed concerns of a pediatric-strength melatonin being administered to children without parental consent by the director of the daycare, Voris.
The report stated that, in December, 2022, a parent advised Voris to provide their child with a specific amount of pediatric-strength melatonin to aid in the child falling asleep at nap time. The affidavit states Faulk was told Voris was pleased with how the melatonin worked and started administering the melatonin to a large number of children without parental consent.
The administration of melatonin without proper approval caused side effects to several of the children, parents stated in a probable cause affidavit.
When Faulk told Voris she was wrong to administer the gummies without consent, she became disgruntled and took some church files, the affidavit said. Faulk noted that he asked her to leave the church property and immediately terminated her employment.
Voris had since moved to Florida, but was taken into custody Friday, Feb. 2 to serve her term.
