Preschool teacher arrested for child abuse

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Debbie Ann Allard, 54, was arrested yesterday and charged with child abuse without great bodily harm. Allard allegedly threw a child onto a cot on June 6, causing the child to hit her head, then was fired and got a job at a different daycare.

Allard was reportedly caught on surveillance cameras on June 6 at Cuddly Kids Daycare, carrying a 3-year-old child by her shoulders and then “aggressively” tossing her onto a cot on the floor. The child reportedly “flew back onto the cot and her legs flew into the air.” The child reportedly hit her head on the corner of the cot when she landed. The camera reportedly showed the child sitting up, holding the back of her head, as Allard walks away. At the time the report was written, the child had been taken to an emergency room and was not seriously injured.

Allard was reportedly immediately terminated from the daycare but quickly got a job at a different daycare facility; it appears that a complaint about this case was first filed on June 30.

Post Miranda, Allard reportedly admitted to the incident, saying she had been frustrated with the child and that her finger had locked up as she carried her to the cot, causing the child to slip out of her hand. She reportedly said she stepped away to calm down and did not immediately check on the child because she was trying to get the other children down for their naps. Allard has reportedly worked at five different daycare facilities.

Allard has been charged with child abuse without great bodily harm and has been released from the jail.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.