Jasmine Flanagan, Senior
According to ABC News, a Florida daycare worker has been arrested and is facing charges after surveillance footage shows evidence of her abusing a child. The 65 year old woman, Katherine Weitz, worked at Dream City Academy in Central Florida. The manager of the facility was the one who discovered this video, and then reported it to the police. The manager viewed the footage after having curiosities and suspicions about how children in the daycare were treated, after hearing the toddlers crying. The surveillance footage clearly shows Weitz smacking a young toddler while other children are napping. After viewing the video, Keith Walker of the Ormond Beach Police Department stated, “There was shaking (and) a couple of kids being smacked during nap time. Some of the kids, she palmed the back of their heads with her hands and pushed them face forward in their cots.” The video released to the public shows only one child being hit by the worker, but Officer Walker also revealed, “We found over 30 incidents that could be considered child abuse to at least four different children.”
Katherine Weitz had a full time position at Dream City Academy. However, she was hired just days before the abuse occurred. Despite Weitz’s violent acts in the facility, she actually passed a background check, which landed her the job in the first place. Weitz was arrested on felony child abuse charges, but was released from jail on a $30,000 bond late on Wednesday night. Weitz is scheduled for arrangement on Tuesday, ABC states.
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