Sybil Suzanne Duenas had used an open hand one time and a fist the other, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office report said.
BAKER – A teacher at Baker School was arrested June 23, more than a month after she allegedly struck a child in the face.
On May 8, an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a child abuse call where someone reported that 39-year-old Sybil Suzanne Duenas had struck a child in the face twice the day before, according to her arrest report from OCSO.
Duenas had used an open hand one time and a fist the other, the report said. She was allegedly drinking and using illegal narcotics at the time, the report said.
One of the incidents happened when Duenas, the child and another individual were in a car. The witness confirmed that Duenas hit the child.
The deputy noted the child had swelling on the left side of her face that was consistent with being struck in the face.
On May 10, a doctor at the Child Advocacy Center confirmed the child’s injuries were consistent and “positive for physical abuse.”
Duenas was charged with cruelty towards a child and child abuse without great bodily harm for punching and slapping the child in the face out of anger, the report said.
The Okaloosa County School District staff confirmed Duenas is still an employee of Baker School.
Henry Kelley, program director for community affairs, said the district is awaiting the action of the court before deciding if Duenas will continue teaching in Okaloosa County.
According to her arrest report, she has been a teacher at the school since 2014.
