ABOVE VIDEO: Update With Sheriff Wayne Ivey On Child Abuse Arrest.
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey provided an update on a arrest made in a case involving child abuse.
Below is a transcript of the news conference by Sheriff Wayne Ivey.
“This afternoon, I want to give you guys an update on a child abuse case that our team has been working since yesterday morning. And, you know, I’ve been in this business for 42 plus years, and sometimes you think you’ve seen it all, and then something like this happens and just breaks your heart, just sickens you to your core when you see something like this.
Child abuse case that happened. As I said, it started yesterday morning, started at one of our schools where the school resource officer saw this child getting off the bus. Immediately recognized trauma to the child’s face. As you can see in the pictures, pretty extensive damage to this child’s lip and cheek area. Went over, started talking to the child, trying to get them to articulate what had happened.
The child originally told the school resource officer that they had fallen and hit their face. The school resource officer knows the child has had other interactions with them and could tell that the child was not being forthcoming. As the day progressed, one of the members of the school, one of the teachers started talking to the child as well, because they were all so concerned about what had taken place. And the child opened up and admitted that his mom had punched him in the face. That’s right.
As I said, his mom punched him in the face and did this kind of damage to this child. Unacceptable. Unacceptable at every level. Disgusting at every level. And our team got involved.
As I said, the school resource officer did a great job. DCF was called out. DCF. Worked and did their part of interviewing the child and making sure that this child was taken care of. Our deputies and agents got involved in the case.
And this afternoon, earlier this afternoon, our team arrested Alexandria stickle. I’m not going to call her the child’s mom because she doesn’t deserve to be called a mom when she does this to her child. So Alexandria Stickle was transported to the Brevard County jail. She was being held there on three different charges child abuse, battery, domestic violence, and witness tampering. And the witness tampering comes from the fact that she actually went to the child and some other witnesses and told them not to say anything and even went as far as to coach them on what they should say if they were confronted about the child’s injury.
So thankfully, all of the children have been removed from the custody of this individual. They’re all safe and sound, thanks to our partners at DCF. I was so moved by this last night and so disturbed by it that I personally went out and tried to be there when she was arrested. But she hid from us. She knew this was coming, and she actually hid from us.
So she was big and bold enough to punch a little kid in the face and do this kind of damage. But when law enforcement comes to make her pay for what she’s done, she hides. So thankfully, our team was able to get her in custody earlier today, and she’s now sitting at the Brevard County Jail, being held there exactly as she should be. I tell people all the time when it comes to looking at what rises to the level of child abuse. Look, if you’re a parent and you are reasonable in your approach to discipline of your child, even if that extends to sometimes spanking their butt for the things that they do, as long as you’re reasonable in it, we are going to stand with you.
You are doing the right thing and teaching your children that there are consequences for their actions. But let me tell you something. If you punch your kid or you kick your kid in the stomach while they’re laying on the ground, or you pick up something and strike them, that is not reasonable. What that is is pure evil. So if that happens, I’m coming to arrest you.
One of our deputies is coming to put your butt in jail, because there’s nothing reasonable about that. Discipline your children. Hold them accountable. As I said, we want to be part of that. We want you to partner with us to keep our younger generation out of trouble.
But if you punch your kid, your butt’s going to jail just like Alexandria Stickle, who is sitting right where she belongs in the Brevard County Jail. As I close out, I want to just, without any hesitation, thank the school resource officer for the amazing job that she did, the school staff for how they got involved in this and took this to the next level of contacting. DCF. DCF. Did an excellent job in their part of this, and then our deputies and agents for their job in making sure that this individual is locked up and behind bars.
Like I said, reasonable discipline is what we all want of children. But if you punch them or kick them, you’re going to jail. And if you don’t think we’ll arrest your button Brevard County for child abuse, mess around and find out.”
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