WEST MELBOURNE, Fla. — A daycare employee is facing charges after surveillance video allegedly showed her striking multiple young children at a West Melbourne childcare center, according to the West Melbourne Police Department.
The investigation began May 27 after administrators at Mustard Seed Kids, located on Eber Boulevard, contacted the Department of Children and Families and the West Melbourne Police Department regarding allegations of child abuse, police said.
According to the West Melbourne Police Department, daycare director Kaitlin Fletcher reviewed classroom surveillance footage after a parent reported that teacher Latasha Deniese Mullings had flicked a child in the face.
Police said footage from May 19 through May 26 allegedly showed Mullings striking five children between the ages of 2 and 4 on 11 separate occasions. Investigators said the incidents included flicking children in the face, striking children on the head with a metal stapler, hitting them with unknown objects and throwing a shoe at a child, which missed.
The West Melbourne Police Department said the surveillance footage showed children displaying visible pain responses following the alleged incidents.
“Any allegation involving the abuse of a child is deeply concerning and is treated with the utmost seriousness by the West Melbourne Police Department,” Police Chief Richard DiGiorgio said in a statement released by the department.
“The actions uncovered during this investigation are unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our community. Children are among the most vulnerable members of our community, and any act of violence or mistreatment against them will not be taken lightly,” DiGiorgio said.
DiGiorgio also commended the daycare administration for reporting the allegations and cooperating with investigators.
According to the West Melbourne Police Department, the investigation remains ongoing in coordination with the Department of Children and Families.
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