LARGO, Fla. – An employee of a group home in Largo has been arrested for child abuse.
The backstory:
According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the father of a 12-year-old non-verbal child with autism reported abuse on December 21, 2025, after noticing multiple injuries to his child while picking them up from a group home in Largo.
Detectives looked at surveillance video from the group home and said it showed 38-year-old Shannon Cooper excessively battering the victim.
The video, according to PCSO, showed Cooper pulling the victim around by their collar, striking the victim unprovoked multiple times, straddling the victim and forcing her weight upon them, throwing the victim into furniture, and taking the victim into rooms that were known to not have cameras.
Courtesy: Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
Deputies said the victim suffered from bruising on their neck, right arm, and left arm, as well as scratches on their face and hands.
Dig deeper:
Cooper was arrested and charged with child abuse on Wednesday.
Cooper is also employed by Retmus Academy of Learning, located at 2800 26th Avenue South in St. Petersburg.