A Panama City mother is now serving probation after admitting to hitting a young girl during an argument over a shared bathroom at a local daycare center.
Latoya Gaines, 48, entered a no-contest plea on July 17 to a child abuse charge stemming from the April incident. A Bay County judge handed down a 24-month probation sentence, along with 100 hours of community service and mandatory drug, alcohol, and mental health evaluations, according to court documents.
The confrontation unfolded on April 24 when Gaines arrived at the daycare to pick up her daughter and another child in her care. Officials say she got into a dispute with a 10-year-old girl over access to a single-occupant restroom, insisting the child step out so her own daughter could go in.
When the girl asked her to wait her turn, the situation reportedly escalated quickly. Investigators say Gaines then struck the child in the face with a closed fist, leaving visible bruising near her eye. She left the facility on foot with her two daughters shortly after.
Staff members and other witnesses at the daycare backed up the girl’s account once her mother reported what had happened. When officers later tried to reach Gaines at home, she wasn’t there, but she confirmed by phone that she had been part of the altercation. The child’s mother told authorities she wanted to move forward with pressing charges.
Following the arrest, a Facebook account under Gaines’ name pushed back publicly, insisting she had been wrongly accused and that people who truly knew her would never believe the claims.
Gaines officially began serving her probation term on July 21, and will need to complete the court-ordered counseling and community service as part of her sentence.