A former Connecticut substitute teacher has been arrested after allegedly slapping a 12-year-old girl at school, and three witnesses corroborated the victim’s account of events.
Connecticut State Police confirmed that Ruthanna Terreri was charged with assault and risk of injury to a child on May 6 in connection with an April 17 incident at Chester Elementary School, according to the New Haven Register.
An officer responded to the school around 12:40 p.m. after the victim’s mother reported that her daughter had been slapped by a teacher, according to a warrant issued by the store.
Upon the arrival of the army the Principal Tyson Stoddard said Terreri, 64, was a teacher involved in the incident. Stoddard also told investigators that Terreri, a long-time caretaker, was placed on administrative leave and removed from the building following the allegations.
The victim also spoke to the police, saying that Terreri hit him twice in the head with an open slap while he was helping with a live broadcast at the school. The girl said she was scared by the first slap and the second one hurt.
“He also stated that Terreri did not speak after the strikes and did nothing to provoke the incident,” police wrote in the warrant.
Authorities said the victim did not appear to be injured, and the incident was reported to the Department of Children and Families.
Three other students who were present at the time of the incident gave sworn statements to corroborate the deceased’s claims. Additionally, police said each student said Terreri hit a student in the head with an open palm.
Two of the witnesses said they saw Terreri slap the victim twice, but the third student said the victim was slapped three times. All the witnesses said that the victim told them that the slap was painful.
Terreri met with police on May 6 and denied hitting the student. Instead, he said he tapped the child on the head to teach him when to press the button to go to another slide during the live broadcast, according to the warrant.
Additionally, Terreri said he first touched the victim on the back of his head with his index and middle fingers. However, it is said that the student did not respond until he tapped him several times in the same way.
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“He also stated that the broadcast was successfully completed and told the students to do a good job before leaving the room,” police wrote in the warrant.
Superintendent Brian White said Terreri was not employed by the county when he was arrested, according to the New Haven Register. However, it is not clear whether he resigned or was fired.
Terreri was released from custody on a $5,000 bond and is next scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Middletown on Thursday, May 21, for arraignment.
It is not yet clear whether Terreri still has lawyers following his arrest. Connecticut State Police did not immediately respond Us Weeklyrequest for comment on his arrest.
