Surveillance video from Rosalphanie Child Care captures a 39-year-old Opa-Locka mother walking into the lobby, arguing with staff about a lice-check policy, then slapping an assistant director, according to arrest records. The confrontation happened on Jan. 21, and the woman identified in those records as Maria Roda-Blanco was arrested weeks later, on March 11, before appearing in Miami-Dade County court.
What police say
As reported by Local 10, Roda-Blanco told Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer in Spanish, "She messed with my child, who has autism and is 3 years old." Police say the surveillance footage shows Roda-Blanco approach the daycare’s assistant director in the lobby and slap her on the left side of the head, then walk out of the building. A teacher told officers the dust-up started when the mother objected to a lice check and began yelling.
State records from the Florida Department of Education’s Gold Seal provider data list Rosalphanie Child Care at 2570 NW 139th St. in Opa-Locka. The listing identifies the operation as Rosalphanie Child Care 1 Inc., a licensed child-care facility in Miami-Dade County.
Local 10 also reports that Opa-Locka officers picked up Roda-Blanco at the intersection of Sinbad Avenue and Ali Baba Avenue on March 11. Miami-Dade corrections records show she was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center shortly before 5:25 p.m. Court filings indicate Judge Glazer ordered her to stay away from the daycare employee and set bond at $2,500, and Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Carmen Cabarga was later scheduled to take over the case. Records cited by the station also note an ICE hold and an accusation that Roda-Blanco was driving without a license.
Legal implications
Florida law can increase penalties when an assault or battery targets a school employee. Under Florida Statute 784.081, a battery on a school employee can be reclassified and charged as a third-degree felony if prosecutors show the defendant knew the victim’s role, which brings steeper potential penalties. The law covers employees of public and private schools as well as certain other officials and employees.
The case lands at a time when child-care safety is already under the microscope across South Florida. In a separate Hialeah incident, surveillance video led to the arrest of a day-care director after a reported strike on a toddler, a case that prompted police and Department of Children and Families involvement, as reported by WSVN.
