Former daycare worker pleads not guilty in abuse case

TULSA - The woman accused of badly injuring two children in separate incidents at Tulsa child care facilities pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Meredith Howard, represented by attorney Allen Smallwood, entered her plea early Thursday morning.

Police say she sexually abused a 19-month-old girl at the John Knox Child Development Center Nov. 4 of this year.

She also faces a charge of child abuse stemming from injuries to an eight-month-old boy at a "Mother's Day Out" event held at the Kirk of the Hills Presbyterian Church in Dec. of 2009.

That boy suffered a broken femur. Howard has reportedly told prosecutors that the injuries to both children were accidental.

The two churches have offered differing accounts of the circumstances surrounding Meredith's subsequent employment at Knox.

An attorney for Knox says the church contacted Kirk about Howard before hiring her; Kirk denies that it was ever contacted.

Knox did run a background check on Howard before hiring her, but because prosecutors never proceeded in the Dec., 2008 case, nothing showed up on her record.

Last week, Tulsa County District Attorney Tim Harris' office released a statement saying that prosecutors had made a mistake in the December case, and they will now proceed with the prosecution.

Howard has no previous criminal history, and is free on bond.