A teacher in Florida was taken into custody after allegedly placing a 3-year-old autistic child in a chokehold during class.
In a strange turn of events, another teacher in the classroom captured a photo of the incident.
Vilma Oteria, 59, was arrested on August 24 by the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office on a charge of child abuse without great bodily harm, according to records.
The alleged event occurred during school hours at Forest Lake Elementary School in Deltona.
Otero is a special needs teacher at the school and has been educating children for over 36 years.
According to the arrest report, another teacher witnessed the incident while Otero was reading a story to the children.
Initially, the other teacher was setting up the next activity on the opposite side of the classroom during story time. She turned around after hearing one of the children begin to scream and cry.
The report stated: “She observed Otero sitting in a chair with [the child] between her legs being held down in a choke hold manner.
“[The child] was in distress and was attempting to escape from the position Otero had put him in.
“His face was turning red as he was crying and screaming while attempting to free himself from Otero’s legs.”
The other teacher took multiple photos and recognized the boy was trying to free himself. The report did not indicate how the child escaped the hold or for how long the child was in this position.
Deputies attempted to speak with the boy after the alleged incident, but he wasn’t able to provide much detail, only mentioning that he got in trouble at school and that his teacher ‘hurt him’.
Authorities did notice slight redness on the boy’s neck.
Otero denied physically restraining the boy and continued to do so even after being shown the pictures taken by the other teacher.
Otero was booked into jail and later released.
In a statement, Volusia County Schools said: “Volusia County Schools is aware of the recent arrest of a Forest Lake Elementary teacher. VCS is committed to the safety and well-being of all of our students and is taking this situation very seriously. As such, our Professional Standards department is currently conducting a thorough investigation to determine the appropriate next steps. The teacher is currently on administrative leave.”