Kentucky woman accused of running unlicensed day care indicted on human trafficking, child abuse charges

BLOOMFIELD, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Kentucky woman accused of running an unlicensed day care was indicted for alleged human trafficking and child abuse.

According to the Nelson County Sheriff's Office, Katelyn Rogers, 27, was indicted by a grand jury on multiple charges "related to an unlawful and exploitative operation." The charges include human trafficking, criminal abuse, tampering with physical evidence and tampering with a witness.

The sheriff's office said the charges come from their investigation into incidents that happened between February and May of this year in Nelson County. Rogers is accused of operating an unlicensed childcare facility out of her home on Chaplin Taylorsville Road in Bloomfield. She's charged with human trafficking for allegedly coercing and manipulating an employee to work without pay, "using intimidation to compel her continued labor."

She's also accused of attempting to "influence and intimidate" the same employee to "mislead investigators regarding the number of children in their care" and other details of the facility's operations.

Detective Brandon Teater with the Nelson County Sheriff's Office said there are "very specific requirements" a day care must meet, and Rogers didn't follow those steps. That includes the number of children in the home day care, and Teater said, in this case, the human trafficking charge is not what most expect.

"In this instance, the human trafficking element is where this individual coursed another person into labor," Teater said.

The indictment alleges Rogers intentionally abused a child under 12 by "causing acts of torture, cruel confinement, or other forms of cruel punishment." She's also accused of altering video footage and deleting text messages in an effort to "hinder an ongoing investigation."

"One of the victims in this case was 2 going on 3 at the time that these events occurred, and we want to be the voice for those people," Teater said. "Because, at that age, they don't have one."

WDRB News attempted to speak with Rogers at her home Tuesday, but she and her attorney offered no comment.

Rogers is scheduled to be in court on Dec. 5 for her arraignment. According to court records, the indictment was issued on Nov. 20, and Rogers was arrested on a warrant the next day.

A check of the roster at the Nelson County Jail Monday night showed Rogers had posted 10% of her $30,000 bond the day she was arrested.

The sheriff's office is encouraging anyone who may have information related to the case to call them at 502-348-1840.

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