York school bus assistant, 70, arrested for spraying cleaning solution on 7-year-old special needs child
YORK COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA: A York County School Division bus assistant was arrested and charged on Tuesday, December 6 for allegedly spraying a cleaning solution on a special needs child. David Keith Blackwell was charged with three felony counts of 'malicious bodily injury by means of a caustic substance,' and one count of 'abuse and neglect of children'
According to a Facebook post from the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office, the incident took place on Tuesday afternoon, December 6, when a seven-year-old special needs child spit on the 70-year-old Blackwell, who, in return, sprayed the child in the face with what appeared to be window cleaner three separate times. The incident was reported to the school by the child's parents.
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Investigator Tommy West from the sheriff's office also revealed that footage of the incident has emerged in which the boy is seen strapped into a harness in his seat, which is common for a bus designated for special needs children. "The video makes it pretty clear that it did seem the boy was trying to spit on him, but there was at least one seat between the two of them and he sprayed the young man in the face multiple times," investigator West said according to 13NewsNow.
A York County School Division spokeswoman said Blackwell was employed by them at the time of the incident, but no longer works for the division. “The York County School Division is committed to providing safe, secure, and caring environments in which all individuals demonstrate mutual trust and respect," she wrote.
West said he can understand Blackwell’s frustration but what he did is completely unacceptable. "When you’re dealing with a special needs child, especially when you know that’s what you’re going to be dealing with regularly, you have to be an adult. You can’t just act on emotions," he said.
"This is a seven-year-old child," West emphasized. "The fact of the matter is that we did arrest a 70-year-old man for assaulting a child. The child’s actions, though should be considered — especially in a court — don’t necessarily come into play when we’re determining probable cause. The crime that he’s charged with has specific elements, he met all of those elements clearly and the deputies acted appropriately." The investigator also revealed that Blackwell was taken to the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail before being released on a $2,500 bond.