A Florida daycare worker has been fired after she was seen on surveillance video mistreating a child with disabilities in her care at the facility.
Kaitlyn Pitzer, 36, was charged with one count of child abuse after the incident.
The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office reported that they were contacted by the administration of Tender Care Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care regarding an incident on Thursday. Deputies reviewed the classroom footage as part of the investigation.
The video depicted Pitzer and another aide attempting to place a bandage on an 11-year-old’s forehead. As the child leaned forward, Pitzer “forcefully pushed the child’s forehead, causing a violent and excessive motion that jerked the child backward.”
Shortly after, the video further showed Pitzer “taunting the child with a piece of cake.” When the child reached out and brushed their finger on the icing, “Pitzer, visibly frustrated, took the child’s finger and smeared the icing across the child’s face.”
According to the sheriff’s office, “She then picked up icing that had dropped on the floor and aggressively applied it to the child’s forehead.” Pitzer later wet a paper towel, approached from behind, and forcefully wiped the icing off the child’s face, causing clear distress. The child immediately moved away in an attempt to distance themselves from Pitzer.
Soon after, Pitzer abruptly grabbed the child, who was standing by the trash can where the cake was discarded, and dragged them to a hand sanitizer dispenser. She applied sanitizer to the child’s hands and arms, including areas with open wounds, prompting the child to run across the room in distress.
Detectives shared the video with the child’s parents, who expressed concerns that Pitzer’s actions could have resulted in serious harm due to the child’s pre-existing medical conditions. They also noted that the incidents caused scabbed wounds on the child’s arms to reopen and bleed.
Detectives eventually spoke directly with Pitzer, who told them that she had been “frustrated that day” and said that “her behavior was inappropriate,” saying she knew the hand sanitizer would hurt the child “but did not care at the time.”
“Pitzer further admitted to smearing cake on the child’s face and said she thought it was ‘funny’ in the moment,” the sheriff’s office said.
Pitzer was arrested after “detectives determined that the child is a vulnerable victim with documented medical conditions, and the actions captured on the video clearly fell outside the boundaries of appropriate and lawful care.”
She was given a $5,000 bond.
