Florida mother arrested for allegedly beating her 10-month-old son
KAUZ 6 News, January 21, 2008

A day care worker in Florida is behind bars for allegedly abusing her own child.

18-year-old Aisha Bowen was arrested after video from a cell phone surfaced, apparently showing her hitting her son.

"If my son was ever taken away from me, things would never be the same," she said.

A trail of tears falling down Aisha Bowen's face as she sits in the Marion County jail facing charges for beating her son. Ocala police officers say back in October Bowen struck her then 10-month old son several times before picking him by his arm and carrying him to his bed. Bowen's roommate recorded the incident with his cell phone and took it to police.

Bowen admits to hitting her son for knocking over a hot plate of spaghetti. But she says it was far from abuse.

"I took him by his arm. He was standing up, I beat him on his butt," she said.

The Department of Children and Families spent the past two months investigating the case. And Bowen was finally arrested Friday. "They came and picked me up on my job," said Bowen. She was on the job, caring for other children.

Bowen says she's worked at this Kids Zone Daycare Center on 22nd Avenue in Ocala since September. But when asked what her bosses thought when police showed up at the day care. Bowen says... "They did not know. They came and asked what was going on."

It's unclear if the owners at Kids Zone knew one of their staffers was under investigation by d-c-f. We came to the daycare to see just how possible it was for bowen to still work Here while being under investigation for child cruelty. But they were closed. "I think I was arrested because DCF has a problem with parents beating their children."

Now this mother must first face a judge before she can see her child again. "To get signed up for parenting classes and do whatever I have to do to get my son back."


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