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KINGWOOD - Hearings for two Bruceton Elementary School aides facing charges after allegedly dragging an autistic student into a room with no supervision were rescheduled Wednesday due to problems with discovery.
"Mr. Long (Alexander) was having problems because a portion of the video and audio wouldn’t play," Special Prosecutor Savannah Wilkins said from the proceedings in Magistrate P.L. Grimm’s office. "I’ll have the state police or the school send copies to me that I can provide to Mr. Long."
Alexander Long is the defense attorney for the two aides.
Melissa Kent, 61, and Leah Nolan, 40, both of Bruceton Mills, were charged in April with maltreatment of a disabled child.
On April 2, the Preston County Prosecutor’s Office received a report regarding an autistic 9-year-old identified as "C.D." The child was reported to have a "meltdown" at school and was taken to a "calm down room," a small office where the child was left unsupervised, with aides sitting outside the room one at a time.
C.D.’s mother reported sores on the child’s knuckles from the alleged incident.
The criminal complaints detailed that state police were shown video footage of Kent allegedly dragging the victim by their wrists and arms down a hallway on multiple occasions to the empty room, in which the child obtained finger injuries, and of Nolan telling the victim they would "spend the whole day in that room, keep it up" and "keep your mouth shut."
Neither woman is listed on the staff roster on the Bruceton School website.
The next hearing date was scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Nov. 4.