Florida caretaker accused of hitting disabled man with frying pan

PINELLAS PARK, Fla. — A Florida caretaker is accused of attacking a disabled man with a frying pan, according to arrest records.

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Darnika Amanda Martin, 29, was charged with two counts of abuse or neglect of a disabled person. She was released after posting a $10,000 bond, according to arrest records.

According to the arrest report, Martin struck two mentally ill patients at a group home in Pinellas Park, WFLA reported.

Martin was caught on video yelling at one victim and running at him with the frying pan above her head, WFTS reported. Police said she struck the man several times as the victim held up his hand to defend himself, according to WFLA.

The owner of the group home was reviewing his surveillance cameras when he said he saw the alleged incident, police said.

"He called authorities and said 'hey, I was reviewing my stuff, I looked at it and I saw one of my staff members hitting one of the patients,'" Pinellas Park police spokesman Capt. Adam Geissenberger told WFLA. "You can clearly see in the video that this man was trying to get something out of a bag which we learned was food. I don't know what the dialogue was between them, but for her to pick up a frying pan and strike him repeatedly about the head, arms and hands, there's no place for that anywhere."

Cox Media Group