Teacher taped 5-year-old boy to desk for ‘prolonged periods of time,’ Virginia cops say
A Virginia teacher is accused of taping a 5-year-old boy to a desk in a special education classroom, police said.
School employees told investigators that 41-year-old Jessica McCoy taped the young student to a desk for “prolonged periods of time” between Feb. 4 and 7, the Richlands Police Department said in a Feb. 11 news release.
The incident was originally reported to the Department of Social Services on Feb. 7, and police began investigating Feb. 10 after receiving the reports, officers said.
“Tazewell County Public Schools places the safety of our children above all other concerns. Therefore, we immediately reported this incident to Child Protective Services,” the school district said in a Feb. 10 statement on its website.
According to police, evidence and interviews made it clear that McCoy “assaulted and committed acts of abduction” in her treatment of the 5-year-old.
She was arrested and charged with two counts of abduction and two counts of child cruelty, police said, adding that the investigation is ongoing and further charges may be pending.
“This child deserved better. His family deserved better. While we cannot undue the harm that befell him, we can do everything in our power to assure that justice is delivered in this case,” Chief of Police Ronald D. Holt II said in the release.
Employees involved in the incident were placed on leave pending the investigation, school officials said in the statement.
Richlands is about a 170-mile drive northeast from Knoxville, Tennessee.
