An Orange City preschool teacher was arrested Friday, July 11, and accused of pulling a 3-year-old child by the hair, causing her to fall, an act caught on surveillance video, police said.
Zayda Bayala, 58, of Orange City, was charged with child abuse and was being held in the Volusia County Branch Jail Friday without bail. The alleged incident took place at Emmaus Lutheran Preschool, according to police.
Orange City police started investigating the incident on July 7 after the child’s mother called to report that her 3-year-old daughter disclosed that Bayala had pulled her by the hair on June 27.
The mother grew increasingly concerned after her daughter repeatedly expressed fear about returning to school, saying Bayala was mean to her, said Orange City police Capt. Jason Ward.
The mother spoke to the school director about the child’s experience and reviewed surveillance video showing Bayala aggressively approaching the child, police said.
The video showed Bayala grabbing the child by the arm on two separate occasions and later pulling her by the hair, causing the child to fall forward, investigators said.
The 3-year-old appeared distressed during the incident, police said.
Bayala was dismissed from the school, and the Department of Children and Families was notified.
Police obtained an arrest warrant for Bayala, who was taken into custody at her Orange City home on July 11.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Preschool teacher arrested for pulling 3-year-old child’s hair, causing her to fall
Reporting by Patricio G. Balona, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
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