Putnam County woman arrested after video shows her hitting man with a disability multiple times

FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – A Putnam County woman was arrested earlier this month after surveillance video footage showed her hitting a man with a disability, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.

Chelsey Renee Payne, 30, of San Mateo was arrested by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office and accused of abuse of a disabled adult, a third-degree felony, after she was seen shoving the man and striking him in the face several times, both with an open hand and a closed fist.

According to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, its investigation started on Nov. 22 when it responded to a complaint of a suspicious incident at the Palm Coast Community Center.

Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly called the incident “appalling.”

“She committed this crime for somebody that was under her care, that she was supposed to be helping and assisting,” Staly said.

A concerned citizen told investigators that a yet-to-be-identified female had possibly physically abused a man who is disabled on the property the day prior. Surveillance footage was then turned over to the Sheriff’s Office.

Detectives reviewed the footage which investigators said depicted a disturbing encounter between the female suspect and a disabled adult male.

Using technology, detectives eventually identified the woman as Payne.

Payne was employed at the time of the incident by East Coast Habilitation Options, Inc. (ECHO), but was later fired after the incident was reported to the company, the Sheriff’s Office said.

News4JAX contacted Payne’s former employer, which said the following in a statement:

All East Coast Habilitation Options (ECHO) employees are expected to deliver the highest standard of care to our residents with developmental disabilities. All employees meet the stringent standards of the state of Florida’s Level 2 Background Screening before being allowed to work with people with disabilities. Unfortunately, an employee failed to abide by the expectations of her job and has been arrested by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. This individual is no longer employed by our agency. We would also like to thank the member(s) of the community who brought this to the attention of the authorities.

ECHO has, and will always, strongly advocate for the individuals in our care, as we do not tolerate this type of behavior. We are working with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office as well as the Department of Children and Families in hopes that this person will be brought to justice and will no longer be able to work with vulnerable people in the future.

News4JAX also learned that ECHO requires employees to undergo a stage two background check, which is more thorough. Florida employers require them for positions that involve working with young, vulnerable or elderly individuals.

Payne was later arrested at her home in Putnam County with the assistance of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.

“No one should make you so mad that you attack someone and in this case, a disable person, which is the worst of the worst that you can do,” Staly said.

Payne was then transported to the Putnam County Jail, where she was held without bond until she was transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility where she posted her $7,500 bond and was later released.

“This supposed ‘caretaker’ clearly did not show any care or compassion while she was abusing a disabled person,” said Staly. “We send our deepest sympathies to the victim and their family. I commend our Major Case detectives for quickly solving this case with initially very little information to go on.”


About the Authors:

Digital reporter who has lived in Jacksonville for more than 25 years and focuses on important local issues like education and the environment.

Renee Beninate is a Florida native and award-winning reporter who joined the News4Jax team in June 2021.