Bradford Preschool under investigation for child abuse for the fifth time

To keep up with the latest local news subscribe to our TV20 newsletter HERE and receive news straight to your email every morning.

STARKE, Fla. (WCJB) - A mother in Starke is taking action after she said her two-year-old son was abused at Bradford Preschool.

“It hurts me to my heart to know my child went through something like that,” said Makala Proctor.

Proctor filed a police report after she said her son, Lyndell Hampton III, was pushed on Friday.

“After he tried to pick his head up again, she put her hands around the back of his neck and pushed his head down again, and then she done it again for three times as total,” said Proctor.

Proctor said Regina Mann was trying to get the class ready for nap time.

“At that point she sat up on her butt criss cross and was holding my son like this, so again we told her ‘let him go, like why are you doing my son like that? Let him go, get your hands off of him.’”

Police officers are now opening an investigation on the daycare for the fifth time.

“You do have Robyn Bryant in 2014 as well as 2015 case. Both of those were referred to the state attorney for charges,” said Barry Warren, Assistant Chief of Police, Starke PD.

Robyn Bryant, the daughter of the daycare owner, made an agreement delaying prosecution after she was accused of grabbing a child by the throat at the daycare.

Warren said they obtained a subpoena to get video footage from inside the preschool, but the owner told police the cameras weren’t working.

“Why? I don’t know. I do know we have a previous case where we obtained a hard drive, the DVR, and we’re still waiting on a report from that from FDLE,” said Warren.

Proctor said if it wasn’t for her and her boyfriend deciding to pick their kids up early that day, she wouldn’t have seen this all go down.

“It may actually help if you’re not on a daily routine with picking your child up at a certain time. You may catch something with your own eyes like I did.”

Officers said this is the third employee at the preschool that they’re investigating.

Copyright 2022 WCJB. All rights reserved. Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.