WATCH ABOVE: Surveillance video has been released that shows a woman allegedly mistreating a child at a daycare. Tammie Fields reports.
TORONTO – A daycare worker in Holiday, Florida has been fired after surveillance video caught the woman allegedly kicking a child in the head and backside.
Pasco County sheriff’s deputies arrested 48-year-old Linda Klemm on Saturday after a mother picked up her daughter, Lillian Roan, earlier in the day at the Kids Stop-N-Play daycare and found that she bad been bruised.
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Lillian’s mother, Crystal Faggione, alleges that Klemm left her 16-month-old daughter with a bruise under her eye, three on her forehead and a bald patch where she was kicked in the head.
“We’re just trying to get awareness so other parents can know what happened,” Faggione told the Tampa Bay Times. “We cried a lot, but other than that, we’re holding strong.”
During the investigation, officers obtained surveillance tapes that show the incident in question.
In the video, you can see an adult – who looks like Klemm – walk up to Roan and kick her multiple times. At one point, the daycare worker grabs the child and forces them to sit upright instead of snuggling with a teddy bear and blanket.
However, when shown the video, Klemm denied any wrongdoing.
“She said she was sorry, but never admitted to kicking her in the head,” Deputy William Wood told the Orlando Sentinel. “I even stopped the video and rewound it several times.”
This is not the first time Klemm has had trouble with the law. According to 10 News, Klemm was slapped with misdemeanour charges in 2009 that include retail theft and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
“I do background checks on all my staff. I put 16 cameras in here to protect these children,” owner Rhonda Shetland told WTSP. “She’s been here 4 years and there’s been no signs of any abuse.”
Authorities believe those previous charges weren’t enough to prevent Klemm from working at the daycare.
“Parents love her. Kids were running after her to give her hugs. I don’t get it,” Shetland added.
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