So i used to take my son to a daycare called Kids Zone. I took him out of this daycare because he used to come home with scratches and bite marks on him. The final straw was the day I picked him up and he had a chipped tooth! Talk about an angry mommy... So I saw this in the paper, the second employee in Jail for issues with the daycare... Makes me definitely not regret taking my son out of that daycare!
Here is the article from the paper today...
Another Kids Zone ex-worker facing charges
Barbara Kyle signed another name on day care center's fire inspection reports, police say
Published: Saturday, January 30, 2010 at 6:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, January 30, 2010 at 12:13 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, January 30, 2010 at 12:13 a.m.
Another former employee of the troubled Kids Zone USA day care center has been arrested. Authorities say she signed another woman's name on several fire inspection reports, and once even hid from the fire inspector in a dark closet.
Barbara Kyle, 39, who now lives in Atlanta, turned herself in at the Marion County Jail at 9:30 a.m. Friday, according to an Ocala police arrest affidavit.
Kyle is charged with criminal use of personal identification information, a third-degree felony. Since there was no financial gain, authorities couldn't charge her with identity theft.
The charge is just the latest in a series of problems at Kids Zone USA.
The state Department of Children and Families found an allegation of drug use inside the facility unfounded, but it did discover that employees did not undergo proper background screenings.
In December, the Early Learning Coalition of Marion County dropped Kids Zone USA from the state's voluntary prekindergarten program, alleging fraudulent paperwork.
Kyle is charged with criminal use of personal identification information, a third-degree felony. Since there was no financial gain, authorities couldn't charge her with identity theft.
The charge is just the latest in a series of problems at Kids Zone USA.
The state Department of Children and Families found an allegation of drug use inside the facility unfounded, but it did discover that employees did not undergo proper background screenings.
In December, the Early Learning Coalition of Marion County dropped Kids Zone USA from the state's voluntary prekindergarten program, alleging fraudulent paperwork.
Meanwhile, the longtime owner of the facility, Christina Perera, has been arrested four times in the past year.
Perera is scheduled to stand trial next week in connection with her most serious charge: organized fraud of more than $20,000. Prosecutors say she used another woman's personal information to secure an $81,000 loan for Kids Zone USA security equipment.
Perera, 45, was also arrested on a felony grand theft charge and two separate misdemeanor drug paraphernalia charges in just the past six weeks.
As for this most recent case against Barbara Kyle: Ocala police Investigator Steve Thibodeau said Friday that the arrest comes nearly a year after she signed fire inspections as Patricia Mann and Tricia Mann.
On April 16, 2009, fire inspector Dennis Lawson of Ocala Fire Rescue and Ocala building inspector Ron Rowe visited Kids Zone USA, 1606 N.E. 22nd Ave.
"He made contact with a person who identified herself as Assistant Director Trish (Patricia) Mann," Thibodeau's arrest affidavit states.
Lawson reportedly observed children going in and out of several modular buildings that were not supposed to be used as classrooms.
The person identified as Mann reportedly told Lawson that only the bathrooms in the buildings were being used, although it appeared the buildings were set up as classrooms.
Lawson cited the day care with numerous violations, including inadequate emergency lighting, fire alarms and exit lights. The day care failed the inspection.
Lawson returned eight days later to find the day care still had violations. In both cases, the name Patricia or Tricia Mann was signed on the reports.
Over the summer, Lawson kept returning to the day care center to find that there were still violations.
On Aug. 5, he arrived at the day care and asked for Mann. A tipster had told Lawson that the woman he knew as Patricia Mann actually was Barbara Kyle.
Employees said Mann no longer worked there. Lawson said he attempted to go into one building, but it was locked.
"Lawson later gained entry to the room and found the subject he knew as Patricia Mann, who was in a dark closet," Thibodeau wrote.
That led Lawson to track down the real Patricia Mann, who lives in Mount Dora and used to work at Kids Zone USA. Lawson talked to Patricia Mann, who was not the woman he talked to during the inspections.
Mann said she did not give Kids Zone USA permission to use her name and was not even working at the day care center during the time of the inspections.
During a photo lineup, Lawson picked Kyle out of the six photos as the person who signed the inspections as Patricia Mann.
"Kyle admitted to signing Patricia Mann's name to the documents but blamed her actions on the day care's owner, Christina Perera," Thibodeau wrote in the arrest affidavit.
(Kids Zone USA is not affiliated with Kid Zone Family Child Care Home, located a few blocks away on Northeast 19th Street.)
Perera is scheduled to stand trial next week in connection with her most serious charge: organized fraud of more than $20,000. Prosecutors say she used another woman's personal information to secure an $81,000 loan for Kids Zone USA security equipment.
Perera, 45, was also arrested on a felony grand theft charge and two separate misdemeanor drug paraphernalia charges in just the past six weeks.
As for this most recent case against Barbara Kyle: Ocala police Investigator Steve Thibodeau said Friday that the arrest comes nearly a year after she signed fire inspections as Patricia Mann and Tricia Mann.
On April 16, 2009, fire inspector Dennis Lawson of Ocala Fire Rescue and Ocala building inspector Ron Rowe visited Kids Zone USA, 1606 N.E. 22nd Ave.
"He made contact with a person who identified herself as Assistant Director Trish (Patricia) Mann," Thibodeau's arrest affidavit states.
Lawson reportedly observed children going in and out of several modular buildings that were not supposed to be used as classrooms.
The person identified as Mann reportedly told Lawson that only the bathrooms in the buildings were being used, although it appeared the buildings were set up as classrooms.
Lawson cited the day care with numerous violations, including inadequate emergency lighting, fire alarms and exit lights. The day care failed the inspection.
Lawson returned eight days later to find the day care still had violations. In both cases, the name Patricia or Tricia Mann was signed on the reports.
Over the summer, Lawson kept returning to the day care center to find that there were still violations.
On Aug. 5, he arrived at the day care and asked for Mann. A tipster had told Lawson that the woman he knew as Patricia Mann actually was Barbara Kyle.
Employees said Mann no longer worked there. Lawson said he attempted to go into one building, but it was locked.
"Lawson later gained entry to the room and found the subject he knew as Patricia Mann, who was in a dark closet," Thibodeau wrote.
That led Lawson to track down the real Patricia Mann, who lives in Mount Dora and used to work at Kids Zone USA. Lawson talked to Patricia Mann, who was not the woman he talked to during the inspections.
Mann said she did not give Kids Zone USA permission to use her name and was not even working at the day care center during the time of the inspections.
During a photo lineup, Lawson picked Kyle out of the six photos as the person who signed the inspections as Patricia Mann.
"Kyle admitted to signing Patricia Mann's name to the documents but blamed her actions on the day care's owner, Christina Perera," Thibodeau wrote in the arrest affidavit.
(Kids Zone USA is not affiliated with Kid Zone Family Child Care Home, located a few blocks away on Northeast 19th Street.)
