Third Manatee County school employee arrested for tying up 7-year-old boy, police say
Bradenton police arrested a third school employee for tying up a seven-year-old non-verbal student, the department announced Thursday afternoon.
Teacher’s aide Hydalmy Ortiz, 41, was arrested Thursday and charged with false imprisonment of a child under age 13, according to a news release.
The arrest is the third to come in connection to a series of incidents that saw school employees allegedly restrain an autistic student during recess at G.D. Rogers Garden-Bullock Elementary School, 515 13th Ave. W., Bradenton using a nylon rope.
A Feb. 2 interaction caught on school surveillance cameras previously led to the arrest of a teacher and teacher’s aide.
Exceptional Student Education teacher Carina Chindamo, 31, and teacher’s aide Taylor Internicola, 39, were previously arrested and also face charges of false imprisonment and battery after video footage showed the pair wrapping the nylon rope around the leg of the chair before taking turns sitting on the child to keep him from getting free, the police department said.
But police were told by school administrators that there is also video footage of “three previous similar incidents” on Jan. 16, Jan. 24 and Jan. 29, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Third arrest in Bradenton school abuse case
Police say footage recorded on the school playground on those dates “shows one or more of the women” tying the wrists of the boy with nylon walking rope, which is usually used to teach students to walk in line.
Chindamo can be seen at one point in the video talking on her cell phone while sitting on the chair that is being used to restrain the child, according to the affidavit.
An attorney representing the family previously told the Bradenton Herald that they could seek up to $200,000 in monetary damages from the School District of Manatee County.
Police said the investigation is still underway. 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.
