A teacher assistant at New Horizons Center for Autism in Yorktown is accused of chasing a 13-year-old special-needs student around the classroom then poking the student with a push pin, investigators said.
On Monday, two staff members of the school were charged in connection with the incident. Diane Renee Smith, a 45-year-old teacher assistant, is charged with assault and battery. Both Smith and Darcie Badami, a 35-year-old teacher, are charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Another teacher reported the incident to school officials immediately after witnessing the incident Friday. That witness said she entered the classroom after hearing a child screaming, then saw Smith chasing the child around the room. Once Smith caught the boy, she began poking the student with a push pin then lifted his shirt and used a cleaning wipe on the wounds, which also hurt the child, the witness said.
The witness said she then heard Badami conspiring with Smith about telling people the wounds were bug bites.
Smith, of the 400 block of Rockwell Road in Hampton, turned herself in to the Hampton Police Division. Badami, of the 200 block of Smith Street in Yorktown, turned herself in to YPSO investigators and was released. All three charges are misdemeanors.
The investigation is ongoing to determine whether other students at the school have been abused.
Lt. Dennis Ivey, spokesperson for YPSO, said Monday investigators believed four students had been abused and three staff members may have been involved. It is still unclear at this time how many individuals were involved.
Investigators ask anyone with more information on this incident to contact the Crime Line at 888-LOCK-U-UP.
