A Long Island school bus aide has been arrested and fired after Nassau County police say he pushed, slammed, restrained, and sat on multiple students with special needs during a January bus ride.
Police identified the aide as Devone Medlock, 37, of Amityville, who was working for the private bus company First Student and assigned to children from Grand Avenue School, which serves students with special needs in Baldwin, New York.
The incident was first reported to authorities on Jan. 13, and detectives opened an investigation into his conduct on the bus that day, according to People.
According to Nassau County police, Medlock became physically and verbally abusive toward several children on the bus, all of whom are described as special needs students. Investigators allege he pushed and slammed the children, forcibly restrained them, and at times sat on them while they were in his care.
Medlock was taken into custody at his Amityville home around 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Mar. 17, more than two months after the alleged abuse occurred. He was arraigned on Saturday, Mar. 21, in First District Court in Hempstead.
He is charged with six counts of third-degree assault, six counts of menacing in the third degree, and six counts of endangering the welfare of a child, reflecting multiple alleged victims on the bus, Local12 reported. Police and local reports state that detectives are asking any additional potential victims or witnesses to contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers.
First Student, which contracts with the Uniondale School District, said Medlock was immediately removed from duty and then terminated after the allegations came to light. In a statement, the company said it takes its responsibility to provide a safe environment for students very seriously and called the behavior seen in the evidence "intolerable" and unacceptable.
Uniondale School District Superintendent Monique Darrisaw-Akil said the district alerted law enforcement as soon as it learned of the incident involving students from Grand Avenue School. The district emphasized that student safety is a priority and that it will cooperate with the ongoing investigation by Nassau County police and prosecutors, as per LI Herald.
