According to Florida deputies, a preschool teacher pulled a 3-year-old autistic kid by his ear and pinched his crotch area as a form of punishment when he got too rough with another pupil.
According to court documents, Keoni Ellis, 28, is accused of abusing children without causing them serious physical harm. In reference to a potential case of child abuse that may have happened the previous day, the Department of Children and Families reportedly called the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office to the CHILD Center for Early Learning on Thursday just after 1:30 p.m.
Ellis was watching after a few autistic kids in a classroom. The victim and another student looked to be playing about during the event that was caught on camera.
Ellis is accused of approaching the victim, bending over, and squeezing him in the groin and upper thighs. According to the affidavit, the youngster “immediately” retreated from Ellis and began massaging the spot where she had squeezed him. Then, according to the affidavit, he pulls away from Ellis even further and “sits with his legs crossed as if he is in a state of discomfort.”
After a minute or so, the students resume their horseplay. Ellis allegedly came up to the victim once more, grabbing him “by what appears to be his shoulder and ear” and yanking him away. The affidavit stated that the student appeared to be in agony.
According to the affidavit, Ellis said officers that she knew the mother and that she had given her permission to “punish him by pinching him” after Miranda.
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Ellis claimed she simply touched the youngster and whispered in his ear that she would tell his mother he was misbehaving when deputies played the video to her. Ellis denied pinching the boy in the groin.
The boy’s left arm and neck had minor injuries, according to detectives. They brought her to the Alachua County Jail, where according to court documents, she subsequently posted a $5,000 bond.
By: lawandcrime.com
