Preschool worker charged with child abuse

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Keoni Breneaja Ellis, 28, was arrested yesterday and charged with child abuse without great bodily harm after allegedly pinching a three-year-old child and pulling him by his ear and shoulder.

At about 1:37 p.m. on September 11, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to the CHILD Center for Early Learning (820 SW 62nd Terrace), where the Department of Children and Families was investigating an allegation of child abuse; Ellis is an employee at the daycare center.

The victim, a three-year-old child, was reportedly in a classroom with several two- and three-year-old children with diagnoses of autism and other behavioral issues, and Ellis was reportedly working with the victim in the classroom.

The deputy reported that surveillance video shows the victim engaging in “horse-play” with another student; Ellis allegedly approached the victim, crouched down in front of him, and pinched him in the groin/upper thigh area. The video reportedly shows the victim backing away from Ellis and rubbing his upper thigh; he then backs farther away and “sits with his legs crossed as if he is in a state of discomfort.”

A short time later, the video reportedly shows Ellis approaching the victim again, and he is again engaging in “horse-play” with another student. Ellis allegedly grabbed the victim “by what appears to be his ear and shoulder” and dragged him away from the other student. The victim can be seen reaching for his face; Ellis reportedly made the victim sit down against the wall, away from other students.

Post Miranda, Ellis reportedly said she did not have any physical contact with the victim on September 11 and that her boundaries for punishing children depend on the child’s behavior on a case-by-case basis. She reportedly said the victim’s mother gave her permission to punish the victim by pinching him.

When Ellis was shown video of the incident, she reportedly denied pinching the victim or dragging him by his ear. She said she simply placed her hand on the victim’s leg and whispered in his ear that she was going to “get his mother for his bad behavior.”

The victim reportedly suffered minor injuries to his left arm and the side of his neck.

Ellis was previously arrested in 2016 for shoplifting and completed a deferred prosecution agreement, resulting in the charges being dropped. She has been released from the Alachua County 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.