A Florida school principal was arrested Saturday after he was allegedly seen on surveillance footage abusing a special needs child, according to the local sheriff’s office.
Dontay Prophet, principal of Destiny Leadership Academy in Ocala, was arrested and charged with aggravated child abuse and false imprisonment of a child under 13. according to Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post that authorities responded to a call about “physical trouble between a student and the principal” on Friday. Prosecutors obtained video of the incident, which reportedly shows Prophet refusing to let students leave the classroom for nearly an hour, the report said.
“Surveillance camera footage showed him grabbing the victim, restraining him to the ground, and strangling him,” the press release states. “Cameras show the Prophet hitting the child with a charging cable, causing the child to fall and sustain injuries.”
The 33-year-old man also allegedly twisted the child’s ankle and slapped her in the face during the argument, the sheriff’s office said. (Related: Mother says it took 20 days to find out teacher was under investigation for allegedly abusing her special needs son)
“Under questioning by Deputy Bailey, Prophet claimed that the altercation was an attempt to prevent harm to the child. However, the evidence clearly contradicted this assertion,” the sheriff’s office wrote. There is.
According to authorities, the Prophet was arrested and is being held without bail. Body camera footage from his arrest revealed that Prophet was aware that there was a surveillance camera in the room where the incident occurred.
He has since been placed on paid administrative leave as the investigation continues, Local 10 News reported. report.
According to Local 10, Prophet was arrested in 2019 on suspicion of inviting the boy to his home and having inappropriate contact with him. The newspaper noted that Prophet was a counselor at the camp at the time of the incident.
Charges in the case have been dropped, Local 10 reports.
It is unclear whether the school was aware of the previous incident, the sheriff’s office told the outlet.
