An Ohio teacher cried in court as she tried to defend herself by laughing and filming as her colleague duct-taped an autistic boy with Down syndrome to a chair.
Rachel Smith, 27, was found guilty of unlawful restraint and two counts of child endangerment for the March incident. Fox 19 information.
The former West Clermont High School teacher told the court he and fellow student Allison Vestring took part in the sick act for ‘fun’ rather than as punishment.
But his defense was rejected by the court and the teenager’s devastated parents.
“We sent him to school to make sure he wasn’t bullied and we didn’t expect that from teachers,” his father said.
Ohio teacher Rachel cried in court as she tried to defend herself by laughing and filming as her colleague duct-taped an autistic boy with Down syndrome to a chair.
They added that their son has limited physical and verbal skills and that the experience makes them sick to their stomachs.
The 15-year-old student’s plight was captured in a heartbreaking video taken by Smith in which she can be heard trying to call for help while she laughs.
“Try to get up,” Smith taunts the boy as he sits helpless and strapped into the chair.
“This isn’t funny,” he manages to say, causing the teachers to laugh again and insist that it is.
Another video shows the boy trying to call another nearby teacher for help.
“He’s not coming to help you,” Smith laughs as the teen screams again. “He’s not coming, you’re trapped,” he adds.
Court documents indicate the teen was left strapped to the chair for up to five minutes.
On the stand, Smith attempted to defend his heinous actions by claiming the boy never asked him to stop.
The 15-year-old has limited physical and verbal abilities but was seen pleading for help in a harrowing video of the ordeal.
Smith, 27, was found guilty of unlawful restraint and two counts of child endangerment for the March incident.
Her colleague Allison Vestring previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years of community service.
“I wasn’t thinking at the time, I just thought he would say something funny,” she sobbed. “He never said ‘stop,’ he never said ‘leave it.’ He had said those words before in the past and it didn’t happen at that moment.”
But in court, the teenager’s parents said their son had been left with lasting trauma.
“We were putting up birthday decorations and he saw the tape and said, ‘I’m scared of the tape,’ so we had to get him out of the room,” his father explained.
Vestring pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years of community service. She has been banned from working with special needs students.
Smith is scheduled to be sentenced in early October.
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