BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – A Pineapple Cove Academy teacher was jailed earlier this month after police said she injured a child at school, according to the West Melbourne Police Department.
In an arrest affidavit, police said they received a call about the incident on Oct. 7, and they learned that the child had suffered a “supracondylar fracture” — a break in the arm near the elbow.
Investigators said they later went to the school and reviewed classroom surveillance footage, which showed a teacher — identified as Shona Little, 36, of Palm Bay — walking while holding a child by the wrist.
After stopping near a door, Little can be seen lifting the child by her wrist, with the child soon falling to the ground, police added.
“Little jerks the child back to her feet, causing the child to spin in a circle, all while holding the child’s left wrist,” the affidavit reads. “The child pulls her left arm in toward her body, and her face appears to be in discomfort, and takes then her right hand and holds the left arm.”
According to police, Little claimed during an interview that the child’s behavior was “challenging,” and redirecting the child wasn’t working, so she decided to walk around the classroom together as she held the student’s hand.
Per Little, the student didn’t want to, so the child fell to the floor while Little kept holding onto her wrist out of a “motherly instinct.”
“Little said she didn’t want the child to hurt herself as she was falling to the floor,” the affidavit continues. “The child was going limp with her body to stop Little from walking with her.”
Despite the explanation, Little was arrested and taken into custody on Oct. 10. She now faces a charge of aggravated child abuse.
This isn’t the first time that a child was reported injured at the academy, though. Back in 2023, another teacher was arrested after a toddler was found with “suspicious injuries.”
At the time, police said that 56-year-old Sherena Budhu had inflicted bruises and scratches on the child at school, though she was immediately placed on administrative leave as detectives investigated the case.
2023 booking photo of Sherena Budhu (Brevard County Jail)
Budhu’s next court date is scheduled for January 2026.
Meanwhile, officers said they learned that Little had also been fired immediately after the surveillance footage was reviewed. The full affidavit for Little’s arrest can be found below.
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