A Florida woman who was on probation while also serving as a child care center director said a video made last week by a concerned day care center worker only shows her rough-housing with a 4-year-old boy.
Clermont, Fla. police think differently and have charged Kimberly Reid, 41, with child abuse after her arrest on Friday. Meanwhile, the center where the alleged abuse took place has been closed.
Police said Reid was filmed by a center worker who told police she had concerns over the way children were being treated. In fact, the police incident report said a state child protective worker told police the boy was abused over three weeks “without regard for his safety or mental health.”
“I don’t know why anybody would do something like this to a child. It’s very disturbing to watch,” said Clermont Police Officer Erin Razo.
“It looks like he was laying on a children’s mat, like for naptime, and she walked over and was striking him several times with stuffed animals,” Razo said, “and at one point in the video, you see her actually pick the child up and drop him from about two to three feed off the ground.”
Clermont police said they contacted the boy’s father, who said no permission was given to let Reid treat the child in that manner.
Reid told police “it’s not what it appears to be,” according to an arrest affidavit states. Reid told police she hit the child with stuffed toys because “she plays rough with him.” She said dropping the child was a form of playing rough.
State Department of Children and Family spokesman David Ocasio said Reid pleaded guilty to food stamp fraud in 2004, receiving five years probation. In 2013, after being charged with grand theft and organized fraud, she was placed on probation that would expire in 2017.
Ocasio said in 2012 Reid passed a background check and in 2012 passed a screening. Ocasio said it appears Reid never reported being on probation.
h/t: WOFL