Florida woman accused of holding 10-year-old boy by shirt, telling other kids to hit him

Mom charged after allegedly holding child for attack by her kids

A Florida mother is facing felony charges after authorities say she held a 10-year-old boy in place while encouraging her own children to attack him during a playground fight.

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. - An Osceola County woman is accused of facilitating a fight between young children – leading to a child abuse charge. 

Ketsy Ann Rivera, 41, was arrested Monday, March 16 after she allegedly told her children to hit another boy while she held the boy by his shirt during a fight at a park, the sheriff's office said. 

"It's false imprisonment. It's facilitating a battery. So it's delinquency of a minor. And it's basically child abuse," Kim Montes, Director of Public Information and Community Relations with the Osceola County Sheriff's office, said. 

What we know:

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Deputies responded to the Heritage Park Apartment Complex on Monday after receiving a report about a "disturbance" involving children at a community park, the sheriff's office said.

A group of children who were playing at the park got involved in a fight, witnesses told deputies. Some of the children left and came back with their mothers, who got into a verbal argument with the other children, according to the release from the sheriff's office.

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Investigators said Rivera pushed her 8 and 9-year-old children toward the 10-year-old boy and told them to hit the child, according to the sheriff's office. Rivera also grabbed the boy by his shirt, preventing the child from leaving or defending himself, the sheriff's office said.

"It's really disturbing to know that a mom could instruct their children to strike another child," Montes said. "And not only illegal, but it's really sad that somebody in our society thinks this would be okay."

According to deputies, the boy had "significant swelling of his left eye."

Personnel with the fire department evaluated the child at the scene and cleared him of serious injuries, according to the sheriff's office.

Rivera is facing multiple charges, including child abuse, false imprisonment and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. She was taken into custody and booked into the Osceola County Jail. 

During her first appearance, a judge set her bond at $12,000.