KISSIMMEE, Fla. — A security guard working at the Kissimmee Youth Academy is facing three felony charges after prosecutors say he seriously injured a 15-year-old housed at the facility.
Charles Jeune, 32, appeared before a judge on Tuesday, where prosecutors detailed allegations of child abuse and asked for strict release conditions.
“The defendant acted and abused his position, in a position of authority related to his employment,” a prosecutor said.
According to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, the incident began when the teen threw food on the wall and floor and refused to clean it up.
Investigators say Jeune then reacted violently, slamming the teen on a couch and then on a bench, and later going to the teen’s cell where a witness reports seeing Jeune punch the victim.
According to court records, the teen was left with a bruised and swollen eye, a cut over his ear, and needed five stitches for a cut on his forehead.
Prosecutors requested that Jeune be held on a high bond and barred from contact with minors.
“We are requesting no contact with the victim, no contact with the victim’s parents, no contact with any minors under the age of 18,” a prosecutor requested of the judge. The judge agreed, saying that he could only have contact with his two daughters.
Jeune’s attorney urged the court to consider his past record when setting bond.
“Up until this one incident, he’s been a fairly model citizen,” the defense attorney said.
The judge ultimately set Jeune’s bond at $19,500 for all three charges and imposed strict conditions, including barring him from returning to the academy.
The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice said Jeune was terminated immediately following the incident by the program’s contractor, Youth Opportunity Investments.
He is charged with child abuse, aggravated child abuse, and battery on a prisoner with great bodily harm.
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