ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A massage therapist accused of child molestation and other charges against children has been in trouble with the law in the past, Eyewitness News reported.

Channel 9's Jeff Levkulich learned Jessica Lazzara has several aliases.

Criminal Background

In 2006, Jessica Lazzara was under the name Jessica Harrell, pleaded no contest to serving alcohol to a minor.

Lakeland police arrested Lazzara under the name Jessica Bauerle for DUI. She was convicted, ordered to attend alcohol classes and undergo a substance abuse evaluation, records showed.

Arrest Allegations

Polk County deputies said Lazzara, 42, was arrested May 25 on charges of lewd molestation, lewd and lascivious conduct, child abuse, battery and indecent exposure.

She worked at Big Bear Behavioral Health in Maitland and was fired following her arrest.

Lazzara went to the home in Polk County on April 24 for a therapy session and threatened a 13-year-old girl by pointing a bow and arrow at her, because the child did not want to get out of bed, deputies said. Lazzara hit the child's legs with the arrow, and the child got up and left the room, deputies said.

Lazzara asked the child if she wanted to be spanked and the child said, "No," investigators said.

Deputies said Lazzara rolled the 11-year-old child onto her stomach, stuck a lighter between the girl's legs and poked her vagina several times.

Lazzara is accused of spraying black paint on one of the victims and on their mother.

Lazzara is also accused of raising up her shirt and bra and rubbing her breasts on the 13-year-old child, deputies said.

Lazzara said she was going to kill everyone and herself, deputies said.

Lazzara Background

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Tuesday that Lazzara was forcibly committed for mental health issues twice in 2005 and 2016. The state issued Lazzara a license as a health counselor intern in 2015.

There are no complaints against Lazzara.

A spokesperson for the Florida Department of Health told Eyewitness News in a statement: "I cannot say whether or not the department receives a complaint or plans to take action against any practitioner until 10 days after probable cause is found."

To become an health counselor intern, a state board reviews each applicant's history. Those with a history of serious, chronic or recent mental health problems must submit a current mental health status report.

No one from the state could tell Eyewitness News what was in Lazzara's application or why she was approved.

Big Bear Behavioral Health who hired Lazzara said a background check was done on her.

Eyewitness News asked the state to find out who has oversight of Big Bear Behavioral Health. The agency for Health Care Administration said in a statement, "The company received a health care clinic exemption from the agency; therefore, they are not subject to health care clinic regulations."

The agency sent a broad statute detailing what that exemption means but said they are working on providing the exact exemption to Eyewitness News as to why specifically Big Bear Behavioral Health is exempt or what exactly that exemption means.

Cox Media Group