A daycare worker faces charges for allegedly mistreating a disabled child under her care, as per a police report. Shocking video footage suggests Kaitlyn Pitzer, 36, applied hand sanitizer to wounds on the child’s arms and teased them by putting icing on their face. Subsequently, she was dismissed from her job at the daycare center.
Authorities claim that surveillance video captured Pitzer and another assistant attempting to bandage the child’s forehead while the child sat on the floor. When the child moved, Pitzer reportedly forcefully pushed the child’s forehead, causing a sudden and seemingly excessive backward movement.
Shortly after, Pitzer allegedly teased the child with a piece of cake, prompting the child to grab at it and get icing on their finger. The accused worker then took the child’s finger, smearing icing on the child’s face and forehead aggressively, as stated by the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office.
During an interview with deputies, Pitzer described the icing incident as “funny at the moment.” Surveillance footage shows her wiping the icing off the distressed child’s face vigorously with a paper towel.
The situation escalated when Pitzer took the child to a hand sanitizer dispenser, applying hand sanitizer to wounds on the child’s arms. This action reportedly caused the child to become distressed and run to the other side of the classroom, according to the sheriff’s office.
After viewing the footage, the child’s parent expressed deep concern, noting that Pitzer’s forceful actions could have seriously harmed the child due to pre-existing medical conditions. The parent also observed that previously healing scabbed injuries began bleeding again following the incident.
The incident occurred at Tender Care PPEC in Spring Hill. Deputies revealed that concerns had been raised by the facility’s administration about Pitzer mistreating a child during her employment, leading to her recent dismissal.
Pitzer now faces a charge of child abuse, as confirmed by the sheriff’s office. She was apprehended at her residence on Oct. 9 and admitted to acting inappropriately out of frustration. Pitzer is currently held at the Hernando County Detention Center on a $5,000 bond.