Honk News (TAMPA, FL) – A mother from the Tampa Bay area expressed her outrage last month after her 3-year-old son returned from daycare with several cuts on his face and neck. Daycare worker faces child abuse charges for causing injuries.
Footage from Panda Hugs Academy captures 26-year-old Denario Powell taking a 3-year-old boy, Wilson’s son, from a chair and escorting him to the bathroom on December 30. Witnesses reported sounds of yelling, loud banging, and a boy crying.
“To hear my baby scream and me not be there to protect him. That’s a problem for me,” said Mikayla Wilson, the 3-year-old’s mother. “I don’t care what he did. It shouldn’t have never went to that extent, for you to use force, because that’s exactly what you did.”
Wilson mentioned that her father, who collected him from daycare, was the first to observe the injuries.
“I seen my baby with scratches and lacerations on his face and a laceration to his neck,” Wilson said.
She reported that she promptly contacted the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and arrived with deputies at the daycare the following day. Powell was arrested for child abuse on Monday.
Authorities reported that the boy sustained several cuts and scrapes on his face and neck. Following the incident, the boy approached a witness, touched his neck, and pointed at Powell.
“I’m proud of him for speaking up. Most 3-year-olds don’t do that, and I’m proud of him for staying consistent in what he said,” Wilson said.