A Gainesville woman was arrested Monday morning after she attacked a day care employee and threatened staff members with a fire extinguisher.
Gainesville Police arrested Sharetta Renae Robinson, 34, of 741 NW Eighth St., on charges of aggravated assault, battery and child abuse, among other charges, according to a GPD arrest report.
At about 11 a.m. Monday, Robinson walked into the La Petite Academy, in the 2700 block of Southwest Archer Road, to see her 1-year-old son, according to the report. Two employees recognized her and told her to leave because she’s not allowed under court order to see her son.
Earlier this year, Robinson received a court notice that said if she didn’t attend a hearing March 5, she would lose her parental rights, said GPD spokesman Officer Ben Tobias. When Robinson failed to show up, a magistrate prohibited her from seeing her son.
At the day care, Robinson pushed past employees, grabbed her son from the toddler room and tried to leave, according to the report. Two employees held Robinson’s arm while a third tried to separate her from her son.
Robinson punched and kicked an employee, then grabbed a fire extinguisher and tried to hit the three employees with it, according to the report. She then sprayed the extinguisher at the group, and some of the chemicals landed in her son’s eyes. The employees took the toddler from Robinson and locked themselves in the day care office, where one of them called police.
During questioning, Robinson told officers she wanted to say goodbye to her son because she was leaving for the U.S. Navy, according to the report. Robinson was booked into the Alachua County Jail. On Tuesday night, she remained in custody with a $14,000 bond.
Contact Kathryn Varn at kvarn@alligator.org.
