Day care employee accused of force-feeding, violently shaking, and near suffocation of infants

OCALA, Fla. (TCN) — Police recently arrested a day care employee accused of abusing at least six babies over the span of several months.

According to the Ocala Police Department, officers responded to All Star Learning Academy on July 14 to reports of possible child abuse. Authorities allege that between March and July, 33-year-old Karla Penalverty-Gonzalez mistreated multiple babies, ages 4 to 9 months old, at the care facility.

Penalverty-Gonzalez is accused of “rough handling, forced feeding, violent shaking, and near suffocation.” An employee reportedly provided a video of one alleged instance of the abuse.

According to police, the incidents were reported to supervisors, but “no appropriate action was taken to address the allegations in a timely manner.”

Authorities took Penalverty-Gonzalez into custody, and she allegedly resisted arrest. She was booked into the Marion County Jail on charges of child abuse without great bodily harm and resisting arrest without violence.

The Department of Children and Families has been alerted about the alleged abuse and will require remedial training for the facility’s employees. Penalverty-Gonzalez reportedly began working at the care center in July 2024.

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