MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. – A Merritt Island preschool teacher was arrested last week after being accused of beating a student, according to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.
In an arrest affidavit, deputies said that a child was picked up from Tick Tock Kids Academy on Friday after “being disruptive and placed in timeout twice.”
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However, the child said the teacher — identified as Laura Carmichael, 20 — had “kicked, slapped and flipped her off for being bad,” the affidavit reads.
After deputies were called, the child explained that she had been sent to timeout after making a mess and kicking a wall, prompting Carmichael to kick the child’s foot, investigators said.
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Carmichael reportedly tried to escort the child to the timeout chair, but the child wouldn’t sit, which frustrated Carmichael, deputies said.
As a result, Carmichael slapped the back of the child’s head and flipped her off before returning to the classroom, the child told investigators.
In an interview with detectives, Carmichael explained that she hadn’t kicked the child, but instead tried to guide the child to timeout by placing her foot on the child’s, the affidavit says.
During that time, the child struggled and tried to wiggle away, causing Carmichael to grab the child’s arm and force her into the timeout seat, at which time Carmichael slapped the back of the child’s head, the affidavit states.
Carmichael was arrested and faces a charge of child abuse without great bodily harm. She was released the following day on a bond of $5,000.
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