A Lake City daycare worker is behind bars after surveillance video allegedly showed her tossing and shaking an infant in her care, leaving the baby hospitalized with severe brain injuries. Authorities say the child was first taken to a local hospital, then transferred to a pediatric facility in Gainesville, where the infant remains in intensive care. The arrest has rattled parents across the small Columbia County community.
Video review reveals multiple incidents
Detectives who pulled the security footage say what they found was not a one-time lapse but a series of disturbing encounters in the week leading up to the child’s medical emergency. According to the arrest report, video from April 20 shows the worker forcefully tossing the infant into a bouncy chair so hard that the baby’s head hit a metal bar. The report also describes the worker “snatching” the child from a crib and dropping her onto a changing table, causing the baby’s head to bounce several times.
Footage from April 13 reportedly shows more rough handling. Investigators say the video captures the worker striking the back of a seat, shaking the infant’s arm “very hard,” smacking the baby’s legs and kicking the seat that held the child. Those actions are detailed in an arrest report obtained by TV20 and reported by WCJB.
Medical findings and current condition
A doctor cited in the report told investigators the infant suffered a skull fracture, detached retinas, bleeding behind the eyes and significant bleeding on the brain. The doctor concluded that the physical abuse captured on the security footage caused those injuries.
The infant was initially taken to HCA Florida Lake City Hospital and was later transferred to a pediatric hospital in Gainesville, where the child remained in the pediatric intensive care unit at the time of the worker’s arrest. Those medical details are outlined in the arrest report, according to News4JAX.
Daycare responds
Wee Care Too told families on Facebook that the employee is no longer on staff and that the center contacted the Department of Children and Families and law enforcement as soon as the incident came to light. The facility said the worker had been employed there for about three months and that a previous employer had provided a “very strong recommendation,” according to reporting by WCJB…