A nurse has been accused of child abuse after video surfaced of him appearing to kick a 6-year-old boy with special needs who was in his care, while other times appearing to ignore the boy while on his phone, Santa Ana police said Wednesday.
This still from video released by the Santa Ana Police Department on Nov. 1, 2017, apparently shows a nurse abusing a special needs child, according to police.
Oscar Felix of Orange is the nurse being accused, but no charges have yet been filed against him. For now, police have released nanny cam footage that caught the alleged instances of abuse on tape and are recommending he face felony child abuse charges — a fate that will be later decided by Orange County prosecutors.
The 6-year-old boy was under full-time care of the nurse as he has been diagnosed with a disorder called CHARGE syndrome, which includes symptoms such as ear abnormalities, hear defects, eye abnormalities and growth retardation, among others, according to the National Institute of Health.
Due to this disorder, the boy has a difficult time speaking, hearing and has a feeding tube, police said.
His mother started became alarmed when the boy started showing more aggressive behavior, Santa Ana police said, so she decided to install a 'nanny cam' that could keep an eye on the nurse caring for him.
That footage, taken on Friday and released by police on Wednesday, shows the male nurse on his phone as the boy tries getting his attention by walking up to him and crawling on top of him. At one point, the man appears to trip the boy and later appears to actually kick the small boy as he is lying on the ground.
Police said the nurse can be seen pinching the boy's neck.
"They way you gotta look at it is, if this was your child, this is a child that cannot communicate, cannot share what is going on," Cpl. Anthony Bertagna of the Santa Ana Police Department said, adding that the boy's disability makes the nurse's apparent indifference, such as looking at his phone constantly as the boy tries getting his attention, even more egregious.
That indifference evolves into something more serious, even criminal, Bertagna said, as Felix later "physically assaults" the boy.
In response to the video, police have recommended felony child abuse charges be filed against Felix, but O.C. prosecutors must still review the case before moving forward with any charges.
from KTLA http://ift.tt/2A96TpZ
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