2 Manatee County school employees face charges after tying up 7-year-old, police say

The Bradenton Police Department announced arrest warrants for a teacher and a teacher’s aide who allegedly tied up a 7-year-old boy during recess.

Exceptional Student Education teacher Carina Chindamo, 31, and teacher’s aide Taylor Internicola, 39, will be charged with false imprisonment, the police department said in a news release Tuesday afternoon.

According to police, Chindamo and Internicola were recorded on a security camera tying the wrists of the student, who is non-verbal, on the playground during recess on Friday at G.D. Rogers Garden-Bullock Elementary School, 515 13th Ave. W., Bradenton.

The nylon rope was then wrapped around the leg of a chair, which Chindamo and Internicola took turns sitting on to keep the child from getting free, the police department said. The child was made to sit on the ground while restrained for approximately one hour, police said.

Around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, police announced that Chindamo had been taken into custody. Internicola is not in police custody, officials say.

Police said the investigation is still underway and they are looking for other potential victims.

In a statement provided to the Bradenton Herald Wednesday morning, the School District of Manatee County said its highest priority is student safety and described the alleged incident as “disturbing and reprehensible.”

“The District has been fully cooperating with law enforcement throughout this active investigation,” school officials said in the statement. “All of our protocols have been followed, including the employees’ removal from the classroom immediately after the incident was reported and reassignment to other District locations where students are not present.”

Anyone with information on the case can contact the Bradenton Police Department at (941) 932-9300 or email Detective Dalia Santana at dalia.santana@bradentonpd.com.

This story was originally published February 6, 2024 at 5:52 PM.