The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
The supervisor of a non-profit school for at-risk children was arrested after allegedly failing to report the situation when a 12-year-old boy was seriously injured as an alleged result of a physical altercation with a behavioral interventionist.
On February 11, at the AMIkids Pinellas Park location, a 12-year-old boy who attends school there reportedly started misbehaving and skipped the lunch line.
A behavioral interventionist that was on duty at the time reportedly stepped in and ushered the child to a room that the school calls “Opportunity Room,” which is usually used for taking tests and computer lab assignments.
The 300-pound man was allegedly seen by some of the students and staff as he slammed the child onto the floor of the Opportunity Room using an arm lock submission move. The boy’s head reportedly smashed onto the ground with force during the altercation.
After the alleged incident, the boy reportedly began to throw up as he faded in and out of consciousness. According to the police, he was left alone in the Opportunity Room for what they believe was approximately 90-minutes.
A second behavioral interventionist that was working at the school that day was said to have entered the Opportunity Room and brought the child to one of the rooms used for conferences where school staff kept an eye on him for the next half-hour.
When the school day concluded and it was time for the student to board his bus home, 28-year-old Jarvis West, the supervisor working during the alleged incident, rode with the child during the trip. While stopped at one of the children’s houses along the route, the bus reportedly waited as the injured boy was given water from the residence.
The child arrived at his home, and West allegedly kept an eye on him while he made his way into the residence.
The following day, the child woke up and told his mother that he felt ill, so she kept him home from school with the assumption that he had contracted the flu. When he failed to improve she brought him to All Children’s Hospital where he was assessed.
According to the authorities, the medical staff discovered that the boy had a fractured skull, subdural hematomas, and a brain bleed.
Pinellas Park Police Department learned about the alleged incident that took place at the school and determined that it was reasonable to conclude that the child had been injured by the interaction with the behavioral interventionist who reportedly assaulted the boy.
When investigating the situation, the police asserted that West knew all of the details of what had transpired and had failed to follow through with his duty of reporting the alleged incident to the parents and proper authorities.
West was placed under arrest for the accusations, and he is facing charges for suspicion of neglect of a child resulting in great bodily harm, and failure to report child neglect.
The authorities stated that they are still in the midst of investigating the event and they expect to arrest more suspects.
The injured boy was reported as being in serious but stable condition.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a crime, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.