A former Florida daycare worker faces multiple criminal charges after surveillance footage allegedly captured her striking five toddlers in her classroom with various objects, including a metal stapler.
Latasha Mullings, 41, has been charged with 11 counts of battery and one count of assault, according to Brevard County court records. The charges follow an investigation at the Mustard Seed Kids daycare facility in West Melbourne.
The investigation began on May 27, when the daycare’s director, Kaitlin Fletcher, contacted the police. Fletcher reported that a teacher had struck several students in her care. The director reviewed seven days of classroom security footage, spanning May 19 through May 26, after a parent reported that Mullings had flicked their child in the face.
According to the probable cause affidavit, police reviewed the surveillance footage and observed Mullings striking five different students, ages 2 to 4, on 11 separate occasions.
The affidavit details several specific incidents captured on the video. Two students were allegedly struck in the head with a metal stapler. One child was reportedly slapped in the face three times. The footage also allegedly showed a student being struck in the head with a bucket and across the face with a stuffed animal. Additionally, Mullings allegedly hit a student in the hand with a shoe and threw a shoe at another child, though that throw missed.
When Fletcher confronted Mullings about the incidents on May 26, Mullings reportedly stated, “My babies are gonna miss me,” according to the affidavit. The daycare terminated her employment immediately following the confrontation.
Court records indicate that Mullings was scheduled for a court appearance on May 29, but the hearing was canceled after she posted bond.
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