GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A Gwinnett County Public Schools employee is facing a felony child cruelty charge after police say she hit an elementary school student hard enough to leave a bruise.
Gwinnett County School Police charged 58-year-old Marie Lorca Melidor of Dacula last week. She was booked into the Gwinnett County Jail and released on bond.
According to an arrest warrant, the incident happened at Baggett Elementary School on Old Norcross Road near Lawrenceville last Tuesday around 3:30 p.m.
The warrant alleges Melidor intentionally hit a student on the left arm with an open hand. Police say she swung hard enough to cause excessive physical pain and leave a bruise and lasting marks on the child’s arm. Investigators describe the injuries as visible bodily harm.
Melidor is employed by Gwinnett County Public Schools, but the district said she was working for a third-party after-school program at the time of the alleged incident. A district spokesperson said Gwinnett County Public Schools takes the matter seriously and is investigating.
A Gwinnett County magistrate judge signed the warrant on May 7 and granted Melidor a five thousand dollar bond. She faces one count of first degree cruelty to children, a felony.
Reached by phone, Melidor declined to comment on the allegations.
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