An Ohio teacher who was heard laughing while recording a colleague taping an autistic boy with Down syndrome to a chair learned her punishment.
Rachel Smith, 28, was found guilty of unlawful restraint and two counts of child endangerment for the March incident.
The judge granted the defense’s request to consolidate the charges and she was sentenced Wednesday to three years of probation, 80 hours of community service and a ban on having any contact or working with people who have developmental disabilities, reported WXIX.
Smith has tried to defend the disgusting act she and her colleague Allison Vestring carried out as “fun” rather than punishment.
‘I am deeply sorry for what happened on Friday, March 1. I don’t know why Ally thought it was a good idea to tape it up, and looking back, I regret not stopping what was happening and taking the tape off. immediately and without intervention,” Smith said at the sentencing.
Rachel Smith, 28, was found guilty of unlawful restraint and two counts of child endangerment.
She was sentenced to three years of probation for recording and laughing while her colleague glued a student to a chair.
The family of the victim, 15-year-old Dustin Hodges, told the local media outlet that they are relieved by the punishment.
‘We are just grateful for all the hard work the prosecutors did. We are pleased with the court’s decision on Rachel’s sentence. We’re glad this is all over,’ they said.
The former West Clermont High School teacher filmed the heartbreaking video that shows the boy trying to call for help while Vestring holds him down with duct tape and Smith laughs.
“Try to get up,” Smith taunts the boy as he sits helplessly tied to the chair.
“This isn’t funny,” he manages to say, prompting 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 yells again. “He’s not coming, you’re stuck,” he adds.
Court documents state the teen was tied to the chair for up to five minutes.
Smith has tried to defend the disgusting act she and colleague Allison Vestring participated in as “fun” rather than punishment.
The family of the victim, 15-year-old Dustin Hodges (pictured with his father), told the local media outlet that they are relieved by the punishment.
The boy’s parents, Mark and Angela Hodge, said WKRC that your child has limited physical and verbal skills and does not like to be restricted.
“You hold his hands and it’s like putting a piece of duct tape over his mouth, that’s how he expresses himself, he moves his hands constantly,” Mark said.
“He doesn’t like to be held back in any way, every time he’s held back he starts to go crazy.”
“It was disgusting how they laughed at him for fun.”
Parents said Dustin loves going to school every day, but now they have a hard time sending him without knowing how the teachers will treat him.
Vestring was sentenced in June and received five years of probation for unlawful restraint.
