A Gainesville Police Department trainee was put on administrative leave after being arrested Tuesday for child abuse.
Larry Prunty III was charged with cruelty toward a child without great bodily harm, according to court records.
He is being held at the Alachua County Jail with a bond of $25,000, according to court records. Prunty’s attorney filed a motion Wednesday to get his bond amount reduced.
The Child Advocacy Center reported this incident to the Florida Department of Children and Families after the 10-year-old told someone at the center of the abuse, according to a GPD press release.
The young girl said Prunty pointed a knife at her, according to a GPD arrest report. She said Prunty likes to use sharp knives like the ones in “Chucky.”
During summer 2023, the young girl was doing the dishes when Prunty grabbed a knife sitting next to the microwave. He then put the handle end of the knife to her back and said “don’t move, don’t move,” according to the arrest report.
A witness, Tachiana Lynum, told Prunty to stop playing with knives around kids because it isn’t funny. The young girl also told Prunty to stop, according to the arrest report.
After laughing, Prunty told the girl she was a “cry baby,” then set the knife back down next to the microwave, according to the arrest report.
Lynum was interviewed and said she remembers everyone laughing. She confirmed this happened in Gainesville, according to the arrest report.
During questioning, Prunty said the incident didn’t occur in Gainesville but remembers an incident like this happening in Tallahassee. He doesn’t remember anything other than cooking, according to the arrest report.
Prunty denied all of the allegations against him. He has pleaded not guilty, according to court records.
Contact Jordan Ramos at jramos@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @JordanR68971799.
Jordan Ramos is a fourth-year journalism major who spends his time singing in two different choirs and his a cappella group.
