A Colorado paraprofessional faces felony assault charges for allegedly abusing multiple non-verbal special needs children, with at least two disturbing incidents caught on camera. was.
Kiara Jones, 29, had been employed as a bus aide at Littleton Public Schools since the summer of 2023, but was fired on March 19th — the same day she last assaulted a 10-year-old boy. It is said that he did. report CPR news.
Video footage from the bus’s camera that day showed Jones hitting the special needs child in the torso and shoulder with his elbow, then violently stomping him with his foot.
Image: A Denver, Colorado, school employee was arrested after he was caught on video hitting a disabled child.
What is happening at these schools? How do they vet their staff? pic.twitter.com/24zj1LAIP0
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When her son came home from school with bruises, Jessica Vestal called police. That day marked Jones’ last day working in her district.
Vestal said her son had a large bruise on his leg that looked like he had been hit with a “bowling ball.” That was bad enough, but further investigation by authorities revealed that this was not the first time Jones had allegedly abused him.
Another video taken on Feb. 13 shows Jones punching Vestal’s son in the mouth with a closed fist, then punching him with the back of his hand, according to an Inglewood police affidavit obtained by local news outlets. It is said that he is seen repeatedly poking her in the face. and pull his hair.
“She repeatedly dropped toys on the ground, and when he went to retrieve them, she would sometimes hold him by the head and grab him by the chin,” the publication said in the harrowing accusations.
After reviewing the footage, authorities believe Jones may have assaulted another special needs student, including pulling her hair, on the same day.
Blake McBride told police that Jones victimized her son a day after District Superintendent Todd Lambert “assured” her son was not at the scene or was the victim. After being told, he is speaking out against Littleton Public Schools in the Denver metropolitan area. case. “
“We haven’t seen the video,” McBride said. “We requested the video and were met with lies. We want Mr. Littleton to be held accountable for what happened to our children.”
Lambert also claimed in Tuesday’s letter to parents that Jones had “very limited contact with students during his time at LPS.”
Kevin Yarbrough’s son may also have been a victim of the bus assistant’s disgraceful conduct, and his father now claims she was not involved in the broken leg his son inexplicably sustained in a fall. I doubt it.
“I’m here today because I failed.” Yarbrough Said on tuesday Press conference There, the alleged victim’s family shared their opinions with the defense team. “I had faith that the women on the bus and the people of the Littleton School District would protect him, and I let him down.”
“When the teachers had such a hard time getting him off the bus, I knew no adult woman would verbally or physically torture my son and his friends. He doesn’t have the ability to tell me how hurt he is,” the heartbroken father said.
Police believe Jones may have assaulted many more children with developmental disabilities, and he took the time to carefully gain the trust of the students’ parents.
“I literally bought her Christmas presents at Christmas time and bought her tea when she wasn’t feeling well,” Vestal said. “It’s disgusting and every day I was like, ‘You guys are my favorite family on the bus’…I’m sick of it. It’s insane, but he’s safe now.”
Her son was known to sometimes hurt himself, so Vestal didn’t worry when she noticed the occasional small scrape or bump. However, when Ms. Jones began riding the bus with her child, she noticed that the child would return home with larger bruises on his body and even a black eye in her eye.
One day, the boy reportedly “came home with none of his back baby teeth, even though they hadn’t come out that morning.”
On yet another occasion, “a large wad of gum” was “deliberately stuck in his hair,” according to CPR News.
“You might think that having cameras on buses would make it safer, but that’s clearly not the case,” Vestal said.
The alleged abuser had no significant criminal history other than a driving violation, but was required to pass a background check before being hired by the district.
Ed Hopkins Jr., who represents the Vestals, Yarbrough and McBride families, is fighting to ensure school officials are held accountable.
“This was an institutional failure. Multiple people had to fail for this to happen,” the attorney said. “There was video on the bus, and it had been going on for months. The family contacted the school, but the same thing continued for more than a few months. It’s a failure.”
Hopkins said he began contacting Joshua School, the private school Littleton contracted with, in the fall about the children’s unexplained injuries and panic attacks.
Defense attorneys said at a news conference that it was unclear whether Mr. Littleton had ever reviewed or investigated the charges or reviewed the footage of the bus.
Inglewood police are still reviewing the video, but only the most recent eight weeks of footage is available because it has since been destroyed.
“We’re fighting the school district over our kids’ IEPs (individual education plans). And we’re fighting the doctors. We’re fighting all day long,” Brittany Yarbrough said. “But we never thought it could be someone on the bus. We don’t have to fight for their safety.”
The mother of the alleged victim added: “We never thought of that. Of course they seem to keep the kids safe. Forget about education. Keeping the kids safe is something we never questioned. That’s not the point.”
Jones is Paid one count of third-degree assault of a person in danger; new york post The report cited court records.
She is already in Arapahoe County Jail on bond, but is expected to face additional criminal charges as the investigation progresses.
Her next court date is scheduled for May 3.
