close
close

Local Ocala child care staff members arrested for failing to protect children

OCALA, Fla. (WCJB) – Two Kids Central Inc. staff members have been arrested after a young girl attacked a young boy under their supervision.

The two staff members, Brandy Richardson, 37, and Stephanie Galarza, 31, were present at the time of the attack, but failed to adequately intervene, Ocala Police Department officials said.

The surveillance footage, shown below, posted by Ocala Police Department’s Facebook shows Richardson and Galarza present at the time of the attack, allowing the girl to continue her assault on the young boy.

ARRESTED: On Oct. 1, Ocala Police Officer D. Barry responded to a late report of a battery incident at Kids Central in Ocala, Florida. The location provides children in foster care a place between after school and their foster residence. The battery, which occurred the day prior, involved a juvenile girl attacking a juvenile boy. Officer Barry arrested the girl and Detective Boyer began investigating the staff’s conduct during the incident.

Surveillance footage revealed that staff members Brandy Richardson, 37, and Stephanie Galarza, 31, were present but failed to adequately intervene as the young offender repeatedly attacked the victim. Despite witnessing the altercation, both staff members allowed the girl to continue her assault, displaying passive behavior and inadequate supervision. As a result, there is probable cause for their arrest for child neglect due to their failure to protect the victim and provide proper oversight during the incident.

Richardson was arrested on Oct. 22 and Galarza was arrested on Oct. 23

Posted by Ocala Police Department on Thursday, October 24, 2024

The event occurred Oct. 1., but Richardson and Galarza weren’t arrested until earlier this week.

Richardson was arrested on Tuesday and Galarza arrested on Wednesday — both for child neglect, according to an Ocala Police Department Facebook post.

Kids Central Inc. serves as a community approach to the welfare of children, protecting,

Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

Copyright 2024 WCJB. All rights reserved.

You may also like...