Police said a 10-year-old girl was punched in the face after asking the woman to wait.
SPRINGFIELD, Fla. — A Panama City woman is facing a felony child abuse charge after police said she punched a 10-year-old girl in the face during a dispute over a daycare bathroom in Bay County.
Latoya Gaines, 48, was accused of striking the child April 24 after arriving at a Springfield daycare facility to pick up her 5-year-old daughter and another child, according to an arrest affidavit described in news reports. Police said the confrontation began when Gaines wanted her daughter to use a single-occupant restroom that the 10-year-old was using. The case is now moving through Bay County court, with an arraignment scheduled for June 11.
The affidavit said Gaines entered the daycare facility and became involved in an argument with the 10-year-old over use of the restroom. Investigators said Gaines wanted the child to leave so her own daughter could use it. The girl told Gaines to wait her turn, according to the account police gave in the affidavit. The dispute then escalated. Police said Gaines struck the girl in the face with a closed fist, leaving visible bruising near the child’s eye. After the encounter, Gaines left the daycare and walked away from the area with her two daughters, investigators said.
The child’s mother later reported the incident and told police she wanted to pursue charges, according to the affidavit. Investigators said witnesses at the daycare supported the child’s account of what happened. Officers went to Gaines’ home to speak with her but did not find her there. Police later reached her by phone. The affidavit said Gaines acknowledged being involved in an altercation inside the daycare, though public reports did not say she admitted striking the child. The daycare’s name was not released in the initial report, and the child was not identified because she is a minor.
The incident drew attention because it involved an adult accused of using force against a child in a childcare setting. The case also raised questions about supervision inside the facility, though public reports did not identify any staff member accused of wrongdoing. Police did not say whether daycare employees tried to intervene before the alleged punch or whether the facility had video that captured the confrontation. No other injuries were reported. Officials also did not say whether Gaines’ children witnessed the alleged strike or whether state childcare regulators had opened a separate review of the facility.
Gaines has denied the accusation in a social media post attributed to an account bearing her name. The post said the allegation was false and argued that people who knew her would not believe it. Police records described in news reports gave a different account, saying the child’s visible injury and witness statements supported the complaint. The charge remains an allegation, and Gaines is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. Public reports said she was released on bond after her arrest.
Under Florida law, child abuse without great bodily harm, permanent disability or permanent disfigurement can be charged as a third-degree felony. Prosecutors will have to decide how to present the case after arraignment, including whether to rely on witness testimony, medical records, photographs of the child’s injury or any surveillance footage from the daycare. The arrest affidavit did not describe a weapon. It also did not report any permanent injury to the child.
The case remained active Wednesday with Gaines out on bond and the next hearing set in Bay County. Her arraignment is scheduled for June 11, when she is expected to enter a plea or have one entered through the court process.
Author note: Last updated May 6, 2026.