An Arizona therapist has insisted he accidentally kicked an autistic five-year-old boy in the head, but surveillance footage told a different story, prosecutors said.
Adolfo Salas, 42, an employee at Soar Autism Center in Peoria, about 14 miles northwest of Phoenix, was allegedly caught kicking a boy in the head around 2pm on on June 1.
Moments afterward, the child could be heard crying in pain.
The registered behavioral technician then allegedly sent another employee an ‘SOS’ message, stating: ‘I accidentally kicked him in the face.’
He later told police he meant to kick the chair, not the boy, who is non-verbal, Law & Crime reported.
However, prosecutors said the footage showed a different story, as the boy was in the middle of the floor and the chair was against the wall.
After the kick, Salas allegedly watched as the boy went through an ’emotional crisis.’ The child allegedly spat on Salas and threw objects at the caretaker, who then backed the boy against the wall until another staff member came in.
The employee Salas messaged allegedly took over and consoled the child, who was taken to the hospital and later released.
This entire incident was recorded on video surveillance,’ Deputy County Attorney Ashley Stetson said, according to Fox 10 Phoenix.
‘Had there not been that recording, there would be no one to advocate for this child, for the child cannot communicate.’
Stetson insisted to the judge that Salas acted ‘aggressively’ toward the boy, as surveillance footage showed the employee making the boy pick up trash before kicking him, which left a bruise on the child’s face.
An anonymous employee told Fox 10 Phoenix that staff at the center suffered from a lack of support, and she ‘assumed [Salas] felt overwhelmed.’
‘I do not condone Mr Salas’s actions, but I fully understand the frustration that can build when working long, intensive hours with a high-behavior client without proper backing from leadership,’ the employee told the outlet.
Salas was arrested on June 4 at his home. He has been charged with aggravated assault of a minor and has been let go from the autism center, according to Law & Crime.
The center told parents in a message, obtained by KPHO, that they have a ‘zero tolerance’ for ‘behavior that compromises the safety or well-being of the children entrusted to our care.’
Salas is expected back in court on June 10.
He has been ordered not to return to the center, and if he bails out, he must wear an ankle monitor.
