Katelyn Strohacker, the 23-year-old former daycare worker at Over the Rainbow Children's Center in Pataskala, Ohio, was sentenced Friday to 8-12 years in prison for abusing multiple children, including taping a 1-year-old girl's eyes, hands, and feet. Following her earlier no contest plea to 31 counts of kidnapping and child endangerment—as covered in prior reporting—parents expressed outrage at the Licking County sentencing hearing.
Strohacker's sentencing caps a case that began with surveillance video from July 7 to August 7, 2025, capturing her restraining the 1-year-old with painter's tape on multiple occasions, including stepping on the child's shoulder and neck on July 17, and other abuses like shutting a 2-year-old's finger in a cabinet door on July 11. At least eight children were affected, with four treated at Nationwide Children's Hospital for trauma-related issues such as night terrors and anxiety.
The abuse surfaced in August 2025 after the taped child's mother was alerted by daycare director Jamie Schoelkopf. Strohacker faced up to 92 years but received 8-12 years after her no contest plea. She did not speak at the hearing.
Parents delivered emotional impact statements. Taylor Pineda branded her a 'soulless monster,' noting, 'The same children you took responsibility for when you became a daycare employee.' Ryan Freehafer described his daughter's change: 'My daughter, who had always been joyful and happy, began telling us she was a bad girl.' Another mother wished Strohacker would 'never [be] allowed to be alone with children ever again.'
The daycare fired Strohacker and her supervisor, prioritizing safety and reporting to authorities.