Pittsboro: Former daycare worker faces 11 more child abuse charges; bond reports conflict

A former Pittsboro daycare worker faces 11 additional misdemeanor child abuse charges after a second arrest this month, court documents show, while news outlets disagree on her bond and whether she remained in custody after Wednesday's court appearance.

Violetta Wolovich, 25, who worked at Amazing Explorers Academy at Chatham Park, was arrested again Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, and charged with 11 more counts of misdemeanor child abuse, WRAL, ABC11 and The News & Observer reported, citing Pittsboro police and court documents. She now faces 18 counts in all. She was first arrested Oct. 5 on seven counts.

A charge is an accusation. Wolovich is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Background

Pittsboro police began investigating after a report was made Sept. 30, ABC11 reported, citing the department. On Oct. 6, Pittsboro Police Chief Clarence Johnson told WRAL the investigation focused on one employee — identified in court documents as Wolovich — and not the daycare as a whole. A spokesperson for the childcare center later told WRAL that Wolovich is no longer employed there. When The News & Observer asked about the new allegations Wednesday, Amazing Explorers Academy Chatham Park declined to comment.

New charges and what court papers allege

The new counts involve three children: six counts involving one child, three involving a second and two involving a third, according to the outlets' accounts of the charging papers.

Court documents accuse Wolovich of conduct at nap time that includes restraining or pinning a child's head to the floor, slamming a child onto a sleeping bag or mat, slamming a child's head onto a sleeping mat, slapping a child's back aggressively, covering a child's mouth and squeezing the child's face, and jerking a child by the arm before forcefully laying the child down, WRAL, ABC11 and The News & Observer reported.

Outlets describe different date ranges for the alleged incidents. ABC11 reported alleged incidents between July and October 2026. The News & Observer reported court records detailing allegations said to have occurred in August and September. We are not treating a single range as settled.

Wolovich's attorney said in court she has no criminal history, ABC11 reported. She is scheduled to return to court Oct. 28.

Bond and custody: outlets conflict

We are not writing a settled current jail status. After the Wednesday appearance:

• WRAL reported Wolovich was held at the Chatham County Courthouse on a $5,000 bond, according to court documents.
• ABC11 reported a judge set a $1,000 secured bond in each of four pending cases, with the amount in each case doubling if she violates bond conditions.
• The News & Observer reported she was released on $2,000 bail.

Those accounts cannot all be true as a single current status. Triangle Local is disclosing the conflict rather than picking a winner.

A judge ordered no contact with the children named in the cases, their families or the daycare, and barred unsupervised contact with any child under 18, the outlets reported.

Timeline

• Sept. 30, 2026: Pittsboro police say the investigation began after a report was made, ABC11 reported.
• Oct. 5, 2026: Wolovich is first arrested on seven misdemeanor child abuse counts.
• Oct. 6, 2026: Chief Clarence Johnson says the investigation focuses on one employee, not the daycare as a whole; WRAL reports the case.
• Oct. 14, 2026: Wolovich is arrested again on 11 additional misdemeanor child abuse counts (18 total). Next court date set for Oct. 28. Outlets publish conflicting bond and release details the same day.
• Oct. 28, 2026: Next scheduled court appearance.

What we don't know yet

Police have not said whether more charges are expected. A consistent public record of Wolovich's bond amount and whether she was held or released after Wednesday's appearance is not settled in news reports. Children's identities are withheld.

Photos

Text-only. A Pittsboro Police booking photo has circulated via news outlets, but we do not have a clean agency-released file on disk we can use under Triangle Local rules.