Aaniyah Brown was charged with first-degree cruelty to children
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/Aaniyah-Brown-050326-1ce99b371f21423693309acc95c35edb.jpg "Woman Accused of Stepping on Child, 5, Inside Autism Therapy Center")
Credit: Richmond County Sheriff’s Office
NEED TO KNOW
- A Georgia woman was arrested after she was allegedly seen on surveillance video stepping on a 5-year-old at an autism therapy center
- Aaniyah Brown of Augusta was charged with first-degree cruelty to children following the incident on April 28, during which she allegedly pushed the child with her foot and, at one point, stepped on him
- Brown later told deputies that she was using her foot to keep the child from harming her
A Georgia woman was arrested after she was allegedly seen on surveillance video stepping on a 5-year-old child at an autism therapy center.
The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to WRDW that Aaniyah Brown of Augusta was charged with first-degree cruelty to children following the incident on Tuesday, April 28.
Deputies were first dispatched to Circle City ABA therapy center at 1:23 p.m. local time after receiving a report that Brown had allegedly assaulted a child, according to the sheriff's office.
The person who reported the incident said that someone else brought the incident to her attention, per WRDW.
Credit: Google Maps
Security camera footage captured inside the therapy center allegedly showed Brown pushing the child away with her foot two times before holding the child down by stepping on his lower back. The woman said that Brown then placed her foot on the child and pushed him as he was trying to stand up.
Deputies watched the video and saw the events as described, according to an arrest warrant report obtained by WRDW. The arrest warrant also states that Brown also placed a foot on the child's face.
Brown later told deputies that she was using her foot to keep the child from harming her, the outlet reported.
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Circle City ABA did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
Officials told WRDW that Brown was arrested at around 4:20 p.m. and transported to the Richmond County Jail.
She was charged with one count of first-degree cruelty to children and later released from jail on a $22,000 bond.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
