A Florida teacher’s assistant landed behind bars after she allegedly slapped a 16-year-old boy with Down Syndrome and autism as she was changing his diaper.
The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports 71-year-old Patricia Reynolds was arrested and charged with child abuse without great harm and booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail Tuesday morning.
According to an arrest report, the incident took place at Deltona High School. The boy’s mother reported it to a school resource deputy who notified the sheriff’s office.
A teacher provided deputies with a sworn written statement, saying she saw Reynolds slap the student with her non-dominant hand, the report states. The teacher said Reynolds apologized, saying she had lost her temper.
Reynolds, who was hired at the school in 2016, was placed on paid leave, pending the outcome of the investigation.
She was released from jail after posting $2,500 bail.
