The Port St. Lucie Police Department arrested a woman accused of aggravated child abuse following an incident at a local day care. According to the police report, Latifa Sneed was booked in the St. Lucie County jail after investigators say she battered a child multiple times for no apparent reason while working at a day care. The police report shows the child’s mother contacted police about wanting to obtain video footage of an incident at her child’s daycare. Officers with the PSLPD went to the day care, which is not named in the report, where they learned Sneed had been fired earlier that day. According to PSLPD, the director at the day care informed them that the incident involved a child who is diagnosed with autism and is blind and partially nonverbal. Officers reviewed the surveillance video and reported first seeing Sneed slap the child’s hand while she was sitting on a stool. The officer said Sneed then pulled the child off the stool and grabbed the child’s shoulders, but the child slipped out of her hands. According to the probable cause statement, “Sneed grabbed the child’s head/hair and held onto her head and dragged her across the room. then observed Sneed shoving the child towards the wall. At which point the child crashed into what appeared to be a tall laundry basket.”The officer noted the child began walking with her arms out as if she could not see what was in front of her. The police report goes on to show Sneed is accused of telling the child she was going to sit on her. According to the police report, the child is seen approaching the changing table and throwing items towards the ground. The officer then observed Sneed approaching the child from behind and grabbing her hair/back of neck before pushing the child’s face into the ground while getting on top of the child’s back. The officer said the video shows Sneed sitting on the child’s back with the child’s legs bent forward to her chest, while she appeared to be in distress as she was screaming and crying, while also flailing her arms underneath Sneed. The police report shows Sneed got off the child, who is heard screaming the name of the other employee in the room multiple times while in Sneed’s hands. According to officers, Sneed approached the child once again and grabbed her by the hair while dragging her to the other side of the room. Officers claim the video shows the other employee, identified as Alison Phillips, watching Sneed strike the child in the face with her hand multiple times while holding onto the child’s hair. Eventually, records show Phillips had the child come sit next to her. Sneed was arrested at her home in Indian River County. She was booked in the St. Lucie County Jail on one count of cruelty toward a child, aggravated child abuse. She’s being held on a $15,000 bond. In accordance with Florida’s mandated reporter laws, Phillips was arrested on a charge of failure to report child abuse. Officers maintain that Phillips was present for the entire incident.”If you know or reasonably suspect that a child has been abused, abandoned, neglected, or sexually assaulted, you are required by law to report it immediately to the Central Abuse Hotline at 1-800-962-2873. This mandate applies to all persons in Florida, not just those formerly classified as mandatory reporters. All persons have become mandated reporters,” — Lt. Joseph Norkus, Port St. Lucie Police Department.
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. —
The Port St. Lucie Police Department arrested a woman accused of aggravated child abuse following an incident at a local day care.
According to the police report, Latifa Sneed was booked in the St. Lucie County jail after investigators say she battered a child multiple times for no apparent reason while working at a day care.
The police report shows the child’s mother contacted police about wanting to obtain video footage of an incident at her child’s daycare. Officers with the PSLPD went to the day care, which is not named in the report, where they learned Sneed had been fired earlier that day.
According to PSLPD, the director at the day care informed them that the incident involved a child who is diagnosed with autism and is blind and partially nonverbal.
Officers reviewed the surveillance video and reported first seeing Sneed slap the child’s hand while she was sitting on a stool. The officer said Sneed then pulled the child off the stool and grabbed the child’s shoulders, but the child slipped out of her hands.
According to the probable cause statement, “Sneed grabbed the child’s head/hair and held onto her head and dragged her across the room. [The officer] then observed Sneed shoving the child towards the wall. At which point the child crashed into what appeared to be a tall laundry basket.”
The officer noted the child began walking with her arms out as if she could not see what was in front of her. The police report goes on to show Sneed is accused of telling the child she was going to sit on her.
According to the police report, the child is seen approaching the changing table and throwing items towards the ground. The officer then observed Sneed approaching the child from behind and grabbing her hair/back of neck before pushing the child’s face into the ground while getting on top of the child’s back.
The officer said the video shows Sneed sitting on the child’s back with the child’s legs bent forward to her chest, while she appeared to be in distress as she was screaming and crying, while also flailing her arms underneath Sneed.
The police report shows Sneed got off the child, who is heard screaming the name of the other employee in the room multiple times while in Sneed’s hands. According to officers, Sneed approached the child once again and grabbed her by the hair while dragging her to the other side of the room.
Officers claim the video shows the other employee, identified as Alison Phillips, watching Sneed strike the child in the face with her hand multiple times while holding onto the child’s hair. Eventually, records show Phillips had the child come sit next to her.
Sneed was arrested at her home in Indian River County. She was booked in the St. Lucie County Jail on one count of cruelty toward a child, aggravated child abuse. She’s being held on a $15,000 bond.
In accordance with Florida’s mandated reporter laws, Phillips was arrested on a charge of failure to report child abuse. Officers maintain that Phillips was present for the entire incident.
“If you know or reasonably suspect that a child has been abused, abandoned, neglected, or sexually assaulted, you are required by law to report it immediately to the Central Abuse Hotline at 1-800-962-2873. This mandate applies to all persons in Florida, not just those formerly classified as mandatory reporters. All persons have become mandated reporters,” — Lt. Joseph Norkus, Port St. Lucie Police Department.