Hialeah, FL – A daycare director in Hialeah has been arrested after police say she struck a 3-year-old boy while changing his diaper at the facility.
Hialeah Daycare Director Arrested After Alleged Assault on 3-Year-Old
Rosa Iriarte Alcala, 52, was taken into custody Thursday on a charge of child abuse with no great bodily harm. Alcala served as the director of E-Z Daycare, located on West 30th Street, records show.
Surveillance Footage Reveals Incident
According to an arrest report, the child’s mother contacted authorities after the boy’s grandmother noticed a handprint on his left thigh on October 10. The mother alerted the daycare’s owner, who said she reviewed surveillance footage and saw Alcala striking the child during a diaper change.
Investigators later reviewed the footage and confirmed that Alcala struck the child with an open hand. Photos taken that day showed visible redness and finger outlines on the boy’s thigh, consistent with being hit by an adult hand.
Bond and Court Appearance
Alcala was booked into jail and appeared before a judge on Friday. She was assigned a public defender and granted pre-trial release under a $5,000 alternate bond, court records indicate.
Daycare Responds to Arrest
E-Z Daycare issued a public statement Friday addressing the arrest, saying it acted immediately upon learning of the incident.
“We are deeply saddened by the recent incident involving one of our employees,” the statement read. “We took immediate action and are cooperating fully with the child’s family, law enforcement, and the Department of Children and Families. The child is safe and remains in our care. This incident does not reflect our program’s values, and we continue to prioritize the safety and well-being of all children in our facility.”…