A Pennsylvania bus driver has been arrested for allegedly duct-taping a 10-year-old child to a bus seat.
Fifty-four-year-old Juliet Pratt is facing charges of unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, endangering the welfare of a child and assault. Officers with the Upper Darby Police Department were to Hillcrest Elementary School in Drexel Hill after receiving reports that a boy had been assaulted, NBC reports.
The incident was caught in surveillance video that showed Ms Pratt allegedly using duct tape to restrain the child, around his ankles and chest. The minor, who was already using his safety harness, did not move from the seat or attempt to free himself.
After arriving at the school, Ms Pratt reportedly used a belt cutter to tear the tape. Ms Pratt’s attorney Arthur Donato told The Philadephia Inquirer that she had admitted to duct-taping the child to the seat on a previous occasion to prevent him from kicking other children on the bus.
“In retrospect, there might have been a better way to handle it, but not every time someone makes an error is it a crime,” Mr Donato told the outlet. “These charges require her having an intent to hurt the child, and all she was trying to do was keep order on the bus.”
Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer condemned the way Ms Pratt allegedly restrained the child, noting that in the event of an accident, the boy wouldn’t have been able to free himself.
“Bus drivers are entrusted with enormous responsibility every time they get behind the wheel. In addition to being safe drivers, we also expect them to treat the children in their care with dignity and respect,” Mr Stollsteimer said in a statement.
“Using duct tape on a child who was already fully restrained in the vehicle’s harness was not only inexcusable, it was also dangerous ... There is simply no excuse for this conduct, which is why these charges have been filed.”
The school district also addressed the incident in a statement to ABC, noting Ms Pratt is no longer working as a bus driver at the school.
“We are aware of the incident involving a school bus driver and a student,” a spokesperson for the district said. “We are cooperating with the local authorities in the investigation of this incident. This is a personnel matter; the individual is no longer driving buses at this time.”
Ms Pratt was released on a $25,000 bond. She is expected back in court next month.
