Woman whose day care is under investigation after child’s meth exposure has license ‘indefinitely’ suspended
A South St. Paul City Council member whose day care is the subject of an investigation after a child ingested meth last month has now had her license officially suspended.
In a letter from the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS), Pam Bakken’s license to provide family childcare has been officially suspended because “the health, safety, and rights of children in your care continue to be at imminent risk of harm.” The ruling was also based on the recommendation of Dakota County Community Services.
The letter says that a temporary suspension of Bakken’s license was issued on Dec. 9. However, a new document filed just last week shows that license has been suspended indefinitely.
As previously reported, the South St. Paul Police Department said it received a report of a child who had consumed an unknown substance on Dec. 6.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS spoke with the mother of the three-year-old child, Victoria Kane, who said her son started acting strange after coming home from the day care.
“He wouldn’t sit still, he wouldn’t stop talking. He was pacing our couch, moving his hands a lot, putting them in his pocket, talking, his mouth was dry. I just didn’t know what was wrong with my child,” Kane said.
She said the day care told her he had hit his head at school earlier in the day; however, drug testing at the hospital revealed he had amphetamines and methamphetamines in his system.
The child is going to be OK, but there are still questions surrounding who is responsible and who was at the day care that day.
Lakeville police confirmed it is investigating the incident due to a possible “conflict of interest” for South St. Paul police, because the day care is licensed to Bakken, who is an elected official there.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS was present at the South St. Paul City Council meeting on Feb. 18, where Bakken received both support and calls to resign.
Bakken has the right to appeal the suspension, according to the DHS letter.
DHS provided the following statement to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS:
“On December 9, 2024, DHS issued a Temporary Immediate Suspension (TIS) of Pamela Bakken’s license after an incident was reported that indicated there was an immediate risk of harm to children in care. The underlying investigation remain ongoing, and thus a suspension was issued to the license holder according to Minnesota Statutes, 245A.07, subdivision 2a, paragraph (b), item (2). The program remains under investigation, and unable to operate until the completion of the investigation and the Commissioner determines whether a final licensing sanction will be issued under Minnesota Statutes, 245A.067, subdivision 3.”