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Woman arrested on child abuse charges embezzled thousands at former job

CLERMONT, Fla. — The woman caught on camera abusing a child at a day care center stole thousands of dollars from her former employer.
 
Kimberly Reid, director of the Children's Palace Learning Center in Clermont, was arrested after a cellphone video surfaced of her slamming a child onto the ground.
 
Reid's former boss, Shiraz Dhanani, said she had embezzled from his business for years.
 
Court records showed Reid had been stealing from parents for five years, totaling in tens of thousands of dollars.
 
Dhanani said he hired Reid in 2007 as the director of Super Kids Academy in Orlando. In 2012 she was arrested and pleaded no contest to grand theft and scheme to fraud charges.
 
Dhanani believes she got away with around $50,000 by stealing cash payments from parents.
 
"We have a credit card machine and she would say the credit card machine is not working. We just need cash here," Dhanani said.
 
Child care centers are required to background check care takers. Most violent crimes, sex crimes and crimes against children automatically disqualify an applicant.
 
The Florida Department of Children and Families said Reid's qualifying paperwork was in the day care center's system, but are questioning whether it's valid.
 
The owner of the Children's Palace moved to Chicago to open a day care center and has agreed to relinquish her license here.
 
Reid is expected to appear before a judge Friday.