Kimberly Marie Reid is the director of a daycare center in Florida, but when you watch the video of what she did to a four-year-old boy she was supposed to be caring for, you may well wonder why she was ever allowed to be near children in the first place:
A co-worker filmed Reid hitting a 4-year-old with stuffed animals before picking him up off of a mat and violently slamming him to the ground. The same co-worker told authorities Reid had continually abused the same child over a three-week period.
Police investigators who questioned Reid say she told them that what is shown on the video “is not what it appears to be” and that she often “plays rough” with the 4-year-old boy.
Katie Phillips, who had been taking her child to the facility run by Reid, commented on her thoughts when she first saw the video:
“It’s just heart wrenching.”
Reid has been in trouble with Florida authorities before. She once pleaded guilty to food stamp fraud, and was placed on probation in 2013 for grand theft and organized fraud charges.
David Ocasio, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Children and Family, said Reid passed a background check in 2010, along with a screening in 2012, but did not report her 2013 probation. Background checks are required every five years for those who work with children.
Featured Image Via Clermont Police Department
