Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Paige Julia Nachwalter, 26, was arrested yesterday and charged with child abuse without great bodily harm after allegedly hitting a child under her care at Orange Blossom Prep.

The child’s father reported the incident to the Florida Department of Children and Families after the child told his father that Nachwalter, an employee of Orange Blossom Prep (6200 SW Archer Road), had hit him five times on April 17.

The child was interviewed by the Child Protection Team on April 25 and reportedly said that Nachwalter had hit him “very hard six times.” When asked how she hit him, he reportedly slapped the top of his head and also said he was hit on his stomach; he said she hit him two times on the head.

An Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy reviewed video surveillance from the preschool from April 17 and reported that Nachwalter is the only adult seen in the room during the following incidents. The deputy reported that Nachwalter rushes toward a child who had just slipped and fallen and grabs the child, lifting the child off the floor by one arm. Nachwalter reportedly swings the child and carries the child to a nearby carpet, where she drops the child.

The deputy reported that Nachwalter’s attention then turns to the victim, whose back is turned in the video. Nachwalter reportedly “picks up speed, walks over to [the victim], grabs him from behind, appears to forcibly remove an item from his hands, spins the [victim], and shoves [the victim] to a nearby desk.” The deputy reported that it was unclear whether Nachwalter hit or contacted the victim’s face, “creating the mark later observed by family.”

The victim then walks over to the same carpet as the first child, and Nachwalter turns her attention to a female child who had been playing with the victim. Nachwalter reportedly grabs this child’s arm, and the child pulls back out of fear. Nachwalter reportedly pulls the child closer, grabs her arm with both hands, and swings the child onto a desk, where the child catches herself with one hand.

The deputy reported that Nachwalter was “clearly upset, acting out of emotion, and her movements are aggressive with each child. The video does not show that these actions by [Nachwalter] were for disciplinary purposes as she is not seen talking or counseling any of the three children that she had just engaged with.”

The preschool’s posted policies state, “Under no circumstance will corporal punishment (spanking, hitting) be imposed at this center.” The parents of the three children reportedly confirmed that they had never authorized the preschool to hit their children and said they would pursue criminal charges if probable cause is found that Nachwalter hit the victim in this case.

Nachwalter reportedly declined to speak with law enforcement about the incident.

Nachwalter has been charged with child abuse without great bodily harm. She has no local criminal history, and Judge Phillip Pena set bail at $15,000.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.