A Pensacola woman has been charged with aggravated child abuse after authorities say she struck a child with a broom, leaving the boy with injuries that required more than 20 stitches, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Chenna Jordan, 40, was taken into custody and booked into the Escambia County Jail on a $50,000 bond, deputies said.
The investigation began after the child’s virtual teacher contacted the Sheriff’s Office around 10 a.m. Monday to report concerns that the boy may have cheated on a school assignment, according to the arrest report. When deputies arrived, the child told them he was afraid and did not want to remain in the home, the report states.
According to investigators, Jordan became upset after the teacher’s call and ordered the boy to do 50 pushups as punishment. The boy said that while he was performing the exercise, Jordan struck him on the lower back with a broom. He stood up and was hit again on the right side of his face, causing him to bleed, he told deputies.
Jordan later drove the boy to a hospital and told medical staff he had fallen in the shower, according to the report. He received 22 stitches for a cut to the side of his head.
Deputies said they found a bent broom with blood on it inside the home, along with blood on the floor and on the door to the room where the boy does his schoolwork. They also noted marks on the child’s body, a bump on his head and a laceration.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate the case.