Deeper Purpose Community Church Settles Negligence Lawsuit
Deeper Purpose Community Church (DPCC) has settled a negligence lawsuit regarding a prior child abuse incident involving Charlett Wilson, 57, who was employed as a teacher at the church’s preschool, Deeper Purpose Kids Academy.
Located in High Springs, DPCC was sued by the victim’s parents in June 2024 on civil charges of negligent hiring and negligent supervision.
On December 16, 2022, the director of the Deeper Purpose Kids Academy (whose name is redacted in the report) contacted the High Springs Police Department to report that he found surveillance footage from earlier that day showing Wilson physically abusing a three-year-old student.
Officer Ethan Presnell arrived on scene and observed footage that showed Wilson physically abusing the child. Wilson could "be seen grabbing the child by the foot and spinning her around in the air and being thrown back down on her mat," states the arrest report. One the child was on the mat, Wilson retrieved a "long hard plastic object." The footage shows "what appears to be Wilson hitting [the victim] in the face with it numerous times." Wilson put the object down before forcefully sitting on the victim for several seconds while saying something to her in the process.
Following Wilson’s arrest, DPCC Pastor Adam Joy sent the Alachua Chronicle a statement where he said he contacted the victim’s parents immediately after verifying the video and that Wilson was fired. “I want to make it abundantly clear, that what took place was absolutely unacceptable, will not be tolerated, and what happened to the child should never happen to any child,” he said.
A Facebook post by DPCC, dated 2021, states, “We wanted to take a moment & thank the Lord for sending Ms. Charlett to us when He did. She certainly was right on time. She comes to us with about 30 years of experience in Childcare, & has a wealth of knowledge in this field.”
On March 15, 2024, Wilson entered a no contest plea in which she was convicted of child abuse and sentenced to three years of probation. However, she was recently booked into jail on a probation violation warrant stemming from drunk driving charges. She currently remains in jail awaiting court proceedings.
On June 24, 2024, the Avera and Smith Law Firm filed a lawsuit against DPCC on behalf of the victim and their parents, seeking damages between $50,001 - $75,000.
Court records show Wilson was granted two withheld adjudications for battery in 2002. She had other charges in the early 2000s for aggravated battery, robbery by sudden snatching, and filing a worthless check, but all were dropped. The lawsuit argues that DPCC was negligent in hiring Wilson because she was “not fit to be an employee at Deeper Purpose Kids Academy given her criminal history and inclination for violent behavior.” The lawsuit argues that it was "unreasonable" and “foreseeably dangerous” for DPCC to hire Wilson.
On June 27, 2026 a judge formally approved a settlement agreement between the victim’s parents and DPCC. According to court documents, DPCC “had an insurance policy endorsement providing abuse or molestation coverage for $100,000.00 per claim.” The victim’s parents and DPCC settled for $60,000, of which roughly $25,000 will go towards attorney fees. The majority of remaining funds will go to the victim after she becomes an adult.
