A Florida Department of Children and Families family care manager was arrested after being accused of getting rough and aggressive with a foster child in his care.
According to reports, the 44-year-old man works for Kids Central, a non-profit agency that specializes in working with abused children and aids DCF. On April 24, he was watching an 11-year-old girl who had not yet been assigned to a full-time foster family. She was initially working with a female case manager, and the woman asked her colleague if he would sit with the girl while she used the restroom.
The woman came back and reportedly saw the youngster crying on a sofa. She alleged that she heard her coworker say something like “You’re not going to pull that (expletive),” and she assumed he was speaking to the girl.
Marks that looked like they were caused during the alleged incident remained on the girl for days, and the authorities were notified about the situation. Officers from the Wildwood Police Department went to the location to investigate.
There is a surveillance camera facing the spot where the alleged incident happened, and the footage was reviewed. It was reported that the man was seen blocking a doorway that the child wanted to go through to find her case worker. The police believed it looked like the man picked up the child and threw her on a couch before yelling at her.
The man, who reportedly said he did not know there were cameras in the room, was taken into custody and booked into the Sumter County Jail, where he was preliminarily charged with one count of felony child abuse without great bodily harm. He was released after posting $2,000 bond.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a domestic violence offense, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.