A Chesterton woman who operates a day care faces a felony battery charge for reportedly scratching the face of a child in her care, according to court records.

Elaine A. White, 38, was charged July 14 with a Level 6 count of battery on a person less than 14 years old when the defendant is 18 or older for scratching a 3-year-old boy, according to charging documents. Her business is Working Families Daycare LLC, in Chesterton, according to online business records with the Indiana secretary of state’s office, and it registered with the state in September.On July 7, according to charging documents, the boy’s father and mother stopped by the day care to say goodbye to their son because the father was leaving on a business trip.

The boy was holding his face and when he removed his hand, his father saw scratch marks.

The father asked what happened and the boy said, “Elaine,” referring to White, documents state.

The father asked White what happened and she said the boy scratched another child, so she scratched him in return.

The father sent the Chesterton Police officer who was investigating the case a text exchange between his wife and White, according to the charges, in which White came up with a backup story.

White, according to the charges, texted the boy’s mother that “The only way out of that is to say another kid scratched him or he fell on a toy on the way down.”

The father provided police with pictures of the boy, which showed two scratch marks on the right side of the boy’s face.

“They are red and go from his temple to his jaw line. He has a third smaller scratch mark by the corner of his mouth on the right side,” documents state.

White, whose bond was set at $1,500 and has bonded out of Porter County Jail, has a hearing on Thursday, according to online court records. She is also under a no-contact order.