A Florida special needs teacher was charged with child abuse for allegedly putting a young child with autism in a chokehold while she was reading to a class full of students.
Vilma Otero was arrested on Aug. 24 following an incident involving a 3-year-old child at Forest Lake Elementary School in Deltona, Florida.
A paraeducator who worked in the same classroom with Otero reported the 59-year-old to the Department of Children and Families and later told deputies she witnessed the incident during the class’ storytime.
According to the paraeducator’s witness account recorded in a probable cause affidavit, she was preparing another class activity in a different part of the classroom when she heard the 3-year-old boy scream and turned around to see Otero seated with the toddler’s head on the floor between her ankles.
“She observed Otero sitting in a chair with [the child] between her legs being held down in a choke hold manner,” the report said. “[The child was] turning red as he was crying and screaming while attempting to free himself from Otero’s legs.”
The report didn’t state how long Otero had the child in that position, but the paraeducator took photos of the incident that she later gave to deputies.
Detectives interviewed Otero, who told them she had 35 years of experience in education and special needs and knew that the best method to handle students undergoing behavioral crises is to move them to a different classroom.
When investigators told her she was being accused of restraining the child in an unacceptable manner, she denied the allegations even after they showed her the photographs.
“Otero did inform deputies that she knew physically restraining special needs children in the manner described would be wrong; however, she continued to deny that she had acted in the manner described once provided with photographic evidence of the event,” the affidavit states.
Deputies also spoke with the child’s family, who said the boy was “in a good mood and playful” when he got home from school the day of the incident.
In their conversation with the 3-year-old, deputies reported there were some issues communicating with him since he is so young and has autism. However, he did tell authorities that he “got in trouble at school” and said, “She hurt me.”
Authorities also saw a slight redness on the toddler’s neck. Those marks and the paraeducator’s witness account provided enough probable cause for deputies to arrest Otero.
Otero faces a felony charge of child abuse without great bodily harm.
In a statement, the Volusia County School District said that Otero is on administrative leave while district officials conduct their own investigation.
