Nearly a month after Brevard prosecutors dropped potentially life-altering charges of child abuse against a teaching assistant at a West Melbourne school, the woman is moving forward with her life, her attorney said.
“We are so thankful that the state attorney took a look at what happened,” said James Lewis, the attorney for Shona Little, a Pineapple Cove Academy worker arrested Oct. 7, 2025.
Little, 36, was charged with aggravated child abuse after a child in her care suffered a broken arm. West Melbourne Police, acting on a complaint from the school, investigated the case. Little was booked into the Brevard County Jail Complex and released the next day. She was then released from employment at the school.
Prosecutors, working with contradictory statements from the parents and investigators, reviewed a video which showed Little walking with the child, who had one point began squirming as Little held her hand.
In December, the state attorney’s office filed notice to the court that it would not move forward with prosecution after the video failed to match up to statements made in the case.
“There is insufficient evidence to file criminal charges. The defendant was not pulling nor being aggressive with the child when walking with her,” the state attorney’s office said in a statement to FLORIDA TODAY.
“The State cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant was trying to inflict physical abuse on the child.”
Little told police she was in the classroom walking with the child and that the child was quiet.
The child appeared on video to pull away as Little held the child by the wrist, although school policy requires students to have their hands in their pockets when being guided for a walk.
The child, who was not crying, went on to play outside and later complained about her arm, police reported. The child’s parents also were in contact with the police.
Pineapple Cove disputed certain details of what school officials viewed as discrepancies between the parents’ report to police and what a detective cited in Little’s arrest affidavit.
“Pineapple Cove Academy welcomes the State Attorney’s Office decision to drop all criminal charges against Shona Little,” school officials said in a statement to FLORIDA TODAY.
“Pineapple Cove Academy cooperated fully with law enforcement and the State Attorney’s Office throughout the process, including by providing access to video evidence and relevant information. The decision not to proceed with charges aligns with our belief that the evidence did not support the initial aggravated child abuse allegation,” the school stated.
Lewis agreed.
“All you had to do was look at the video to see what happened was not intentional. It was an accident,” Lewis said, adding that his client is focused on moving on and is not planning to sue.
“The child suddenly turned and wrenched her arm. It was never criminal, but I’m not going to second-guess the West Melbourne police.
“This was a rough case.”
J.D. Gallop is a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@floridatoday.com. X, formerly known as Twitter:@JDGallop.
J.D. Gallop is a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@floridatoday.com. X, formerly known as Twitter:@JDGallop.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: West Melbourne teaching assistant ‘moving on’ after abuse charges dropped
Reporting by J.D. Gallop, Florida Today / Florida Today
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