A Texas teacher and two school assistants have been arrested after they allegedly locked up a five-year-old special needs boy for so long he started eating his own poop.
Melody LaPointe, 47, and teaching assistants Tarah Tinney, 33, and Augusta Costlow, 27, were charged earlier this week with abandoning or endangering a child over the shocking incident in April 2021.
They are accused of keeping the boy in an isolation room at a Liberty Independent School District facility, ABC 13 reported,
While confined in the room, the little boy fell and injured himself – but staff reportedly did nothing to help him.
He was kept locked up until he started eating his own excreta and drinking his own urine.
In the wake of the arrests, the school district said they notified law enforcement and child protective services immediately after learning of the incident.
“We removed the teachers who continued to work for us, and conducted a comprehensive investigation,” the statement said.
“Based on our investigation, we reported the teachers to the State Board for Educator Certification and shared our findings with law enforcement officials.
“Upon completion of the investigation in 2021, no person has continued in our employment since that time. Liberty ISD continues to work with the Liberty County District Attorney’s Office for the benefit of our children.”
All three women were being held at the Liberty County Jail and bond was set at $60,000 each.