A Department of Children and Families employee was arrested by the Alachua County Sheriff's Office following an anonymous complaint that accused a caretaker of abusing residents in a group home.

Wanda Thomas, 59, was charged with two felony counts of abuse of a disabled adult on Saturday after witnesses said she routinely struck two mentally disabled men with a belt at the Easy Living Group Home on S.E.18th Ave. in Gainesville.

A legal representative for Thomas was reached by email Wednesday and declined to comment pending the ongoing case.

"We generally do not comment to the media on pending cases," said Stacy A. Scott, a public defender for the Eighth Judicial Circuit.

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Witnesses cited in the report told law enforcement that Thomas carried a belt around with her while on duty and struck one resident multiple times for bad behavior, and another for sitting on the floor in the wrong location.

Deputies observed multiple bruises near a victim's neck that were consistent with lashes from a belt. The second victim didn’t have any visible injuries during the time of the investigation, the report said, though he indicated areas where he had been previously bruised.

Lydia Dennis,...

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