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A bus aide has been charged with abusing an autistic boy after the father noticed physical injuries on his son.
The incident began on Nov. 26, 2018, when the parent of the 15-year-old Fairfield boy went to the Fairfield Police Department to file a report of injury to his son, said Fairfield Police Capt. Robert Kalamaras.
The parent reported that his son attends a school that works directly with autistic children and he has been attending school there for about 5-and-half years.
He went on to inform officers that on Nov. 19, 2018, his son returned from school and he noticed some distinct injuries to the juvenile’s arm, Kalamaras said.
After further investigation and review of surveillance footage pertaining to the bus transportation of the juvenile to his school, it was determined that injuries located on the juvenile were consistent with actions taken by the transportation aid over a period of time.
On Friday, Jan. 18, Joseph Jean-Felix, 68, of Bridgeport, was arrested on a warrant outside of his home charging him with five counts of crimes of assault of an intellectually disabled person, five counts of unlawful restraint, and five counts of risk of injury to a minor.
Connecticut Transportation Solutions, LLC, which operates the bus company has fired Jean-Felix.
“The employee involved in this incident has been terminated based on information obtained from both an internal and external investigation, and Connecticut Transportation Solutions is willingly cooperating with the Fairfield Police Department’s criminal investigation into the matter," said Chet Doheny, President, Connecticut Transportation Solutions, LLC. "Our company has a culture of responsiveness and a commitment to the safety of the children in our care, we have policies and procedures in place to ensure that safety, and we take very seriously the trust their parents place in us.”
Jean-Felix was held on $50,000 court set bond and is scheduled to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court on Friday, Jan. 25.
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