The aide, who worked with students at Grand Avenue School in Long Island, N.Y., was arrested and charged more than two months after the initial incident occurred in January
Credit: Courtesy Nassau County Police Department
NEED TO KNOW
- A school bus aide in New York is accused of restraining special needs students by pushing and sitting on them
- The aide, who worked with students at Grand Avenue School on Long Island, was arrested and charged more than two months after the initial incident occurred in January
- Devone Medlock, 37, allegedly “became physically and verbally abusive with multiple children who are special needs students”
A school bus aide in New York is accused of restraining special needs students by pushing and sitting on them.
The Nassau County Police Department told PEOPLE in a statement that the aide, who worked with students at Grand Avenue School on Long Island, was arrested by officers on Tuesday, March 17, following an incident in January.
Police said the incident involving the First Student bus company aide — identified as 37-year-old Devone Medlock — was first reported on Jan. 13. Detectives said Medlock "became physically and verbally abusive with multiple children who are special needs students."
Medlock is accused of "pushing, slamming, restraining and sitting on the students," investigators said.
Credit: Getty
Following the investigation, Medlock, of Amityville, was taken into custody from his Long Island home on Tuesday at around 3:30 p.m. local time.
Medlock was "immediately terminated" from his role with First Student, a contractor for the school district, Uniondale School District Superintendent Monique Darrisaw-Akil told local outlet PIX11.
Darrisaw-Akil told the outlet that the district alerted law enforcement when they learned about the "disturbing incident" in January.
"The safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority. We are committed to ensuring any individual or individuals responsible for any abusive or harmful behavior towards any of our students are held accountable," Darrisaw-Akil said in a statement.
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The Uniondale School District and First Student did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
Medlock was scheduled to be arraigned on Saturday, March 21. He has been charged with six counts of third-degree assault, six counts of menacing in the third degree and six counts of endangering the welfare of a child, police said.
Detectives are asking anyone who may have been a victim of the defendant to contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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