Daycare Worker Arrested for Kicking Toddler. Abuse Caught on Camera.

Daycare worker Linda Klemm arrested on child abuse charges after video of daycare abuse surfaces.

A 48-year-old woman has been arrested after being caught on camera physically abusing a toddler at Kids Stop-N-Play daycare in Florida.

Linda Klemm, of Tarpon Springs, Florida, was charged with child abuse after video surveillance showed her repeatedly kicking 16-month-old Lillian Roan in the head while the child appeared to be sleeping.

Watch The Video

Caution: This disturbing video may be difficult for some to watch.

The child’s mother, Crystal Faggione, first noticed signs of abuse when she picked up her child from daycare and realized that the girl had bruises around her eyes, head and forehead. Upon confronting the daycare’s management, they denied that the bruising took place at the center. However, when the mother noticed more bruises and a patch of missing hair on her daughter’s head, she became adamant that the abuse hadn’t happened at her home.

Mrs. Faggione then decided to take her child to the hospital. This resulted in the Sheriff’s Office sending someone to Kids Stop-N-Play day care to investigate the claims.

Surveillance Video Shows Abuse

Video detailing the abuse was taken by law enforcement authorities who watched it and subsequently arrested Linda Klemm. It’s alleged that even the most hardened law enforcement officers who watched the video were appalled at what they saw. Ironically, Ms. Klemm has no prior rap sheet, except for a 2009 retail theft charge as well as contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

“We Feel We Didn’t Do Enough”

Mrs. Faggione says she felt guilty that she could allow this to happen, and that she and her husband should have done more research into the matter. She stated that she asked all the right questions and would sometimes spend more than an hour observing children at the daycare center, but according to her, this wasn’t enough. This feeling of regret is unfortunately common to parents who discover such cases of abuse.

The daycare owner, a Ms. Rhonda Swetland (who has been running the business for more than 22 years), stated that she had never experienced something like that before and that all her employees go through a mandatory background check before employment. In addition, she has installed 16 cameras to monitor activity at the center. Ms. Klemm had been working at the center for more than four years.

Detectives are looking to view more camera footage to see if there have been such incidents in the past.

The Importance of Seeking Legal Help

If your child was a victim of daycare abuse, your family may be entitled to compensation. Therapy can be expensive, and this financial burden should not be placed on the victim’s family. In addition, perpetrators of day care abuse need to be held fully accountable for their actions.

If you’d like to discuss your situation with our attorneys (for free), call Rasansky Law Firm today at 1-800-ATTORNEY. You owe it to your child to seek the justice and compensation they deserve.

Tags: Daycare Abuse

Category: In The News