YORKTOWN, Va. — An employee at a York County middle school is facing charges, accused of assaulting a special needs student.
54-year-old Warren George Hyde of Yorktown was arrested on three counts of misdemeanor assault and battery, one felony count of cruelty to a child, and one felony count of maiming.
According to the York-Poquoson Sheriff's Office, on November 2, a Grafton Middle School administrator reported to the sheriff's office's School Resource Officer (SRO) that a 12-year-old special needs student had been assaulted at the school by an adult.
Deputies said the SRO interviewed the victim and witnesses before obtaining warrants for Hyde.
The sheriff's office said Hyde was employed as a substitute para-educator at Grafton Middle School.
The York County School Division issued a statement Friday confirming the report of a potential assault in the school gymnasium. School administrators began investigating the report, and notified the YSPO and Child Protective Services about the allegations, the statement said.
The school division also confirmed that the individual arrested was employed as a substitute para-educator for the day, and is no longer apart of the substitute pool or employed by the school division.
"The York County School Division considers the safety and well-being of our students to be our top priority. All employees, including substitutes, undergo a thorough background check as part of the division’s hiring procedures. We expect all employees to conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times," the statement said.
Hyde is currently being held at the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail.
