Special Needs Teacher Arrested After Putting Boy With Autism In 'Chokehold'

A special needs teacher in Florida is facing charges after she put a 3-year-old child with autism in a "chokehold."

According to NBC 6 , 59-year-old Vilma Otero , a teacher at Forest Lake Elementary School in Deltona, was arrested last month on charges of child abuse without great bodily harm.

Another teacher who works in the classroom with Otero said the suspect was reading to students during storytime when the chokehold occured. At the time, the second teacher said she was setting up another activity on the opposite side of the classroom when she heard a child start to cry.

"She observed Otero sitting in a chair with [the child] between her legs being held down in a choke hold manner," an arrest report states. "[The child] was in distress and was attempting to escape from the position Otero had put him in."

The second teacher took photos of the incident as the boy tried to set himself free.

His "face was turning red as he was crying and screaming while attempting to free himself from Otero's legs," the report states.

It's unclear how long the boy was held in the chokehold. The boy, who is autistic, told deputies "I got in trouble at school," adding "she hurt me."

The teacher's maneuver left redness on the boy's neck, according to authorities.

Otero told deputies she's been a teacher for 36 years, primarily working with special needs students. She denied restraining the boy despite seeing photos of the incident.

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