DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Daytona Beach police arrested the owner of a local daycare after they say a six-month-old boy suffered a head injury while in her care.
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Police say 43-year-old Jennifer Adams-Lafland was operating the daycare out of her home on Tarragona Way.
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According to police, the boy’s parents dropped him off at what was his first day at the daycare, but when they brought him back home, they said he wouldn’t eat and was constantly vomiting.
When questioned about the boy’s condition, investigators say Lafland told them she was changing a child’s diaper when another child fell on top of the boy, knocking him backwards to the floor.
Lafland claimed she consoled the boy, but didn’t notice any injuries on him.
Later, X-rays would show the boy had a brain bleed. Another battery of tests revealed injuries to the boy’s head, eyes, and wrist, which doctors said was not consistent with a fall.
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Police determined Lafland was the only person besides the other children at the home when the boy was injured, and that she was the only one with the strength to cause the child’s injuries.
Lafland was booked into the Volusia County jail Friday on a charge of aggravated child abuse. She’s being held on $150,000 bond
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Lafland’s cousin and neighbor, Eric McGovern, says she’s a caring and loving mother.
“I just hope people don’t get the wrong impression of her,” McGovern said. “She’s’ a good person, and she wouldn’t do anything to hurt any kids.”
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State records show Lafland’s daycare has an operational license that’s valid through August of 2022.
She has no prior arrests in Volusia County.
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