YULEE, Fla. – A 26-year-old day care worker at the Step-by-Step Learning Center in Yulee is accused of child abuse.
The Nassau County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation at the day care on Amelia Concourse after a 3-year-old girl went home with a bruised lip and bloody nose and was dressed in different clothes from when she was dropped off on Tuesday.
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The child’s parents were told that she hit her face against the edge of her cot after she “had a fit.” Her parents were also told that the girl was being expelled because of her behavior after the incident.
A family member told New4JAX that they were shown surveillance video of the incident, and after that, they called the NCSO.
Deputies reviewed the surveillance video that they said showed Kelly Fullwood, who has more than seven years of experience, attempting to place the child down for a nap on her cot.
The report said Fullwood tried to talk to the child, patted her on the back and placed a blanket over her. But deputies also said Fullwood did things she “knew or should have known were not acceptable.”
According to the report, Fullwood is accused of “forcefully restraining the child to the cot with her arms” and the video showed her forcing the child’s head down and “holding it there.”
Then, she noticed the child was bleeding and went to clean her up, the report said.
Fullwood was arrested on a child abuse charge.