Former staffer at Franklin, Massachusetts autism program accused of breaking teen's arm
A former staff member at a Massachusetts residential program for children living with autism is accused of breaking a teenage student's arm during an incident that was allegedly caught on video.
The one-time employee, 27-year-old Saturs Allison, is charged with assault and battery on a disabled person. Allison faced a judge in Wrentham District Court Monday and refused to answer questions from WBZ-TV's I-Team about how the boy's arm was broken last year.
"We are not talking to any press right now," a woman with Allison told the I-Team.
Last October, Allison was working at Amego, Inc., a residential program for adults and kids with disabilities in Franklin, Massachusetts. According to a Franklin police report, Allison was attempting to restrain a 14-year-old resident there.
The incident was captured on video. It allegedly shows Allison pushed the boy to the ground face first and jammed his left arm to the floor causing an audible "snapping noise." Immediately after, the boy "appears to be in pain while he is screaming," the report stated.
The teen was taken to Milford Hospital. Records indicate his upper arm was broken.
Allison and his attorney Edward Sweeney did not want to talk about the case or his possible defense Monday.
Allison has been indicted by a grand jury and will be arraigned in Norfolk Superior Court. The police report indicates Allison was suspended from Amego after the incident and the Department of Children and Families (DCF) was notified.
Amego president John Randall told WBZ Tuesday that Allison "is no longer an employee" of the company.
"In this incident, managers reviewed the footage and saved it quickly. In addition to their mandate to report to DCF, local police were notified and video shared with them. The local police have taken the action with the DA's office to bring this to the current indictment," Randall said in a statement.
"While cameras are clearly not going to stop all of the bad actions of staff, they take the ambiguity out of investigating these incidents. They not only enhance the safety of our clients, but also the majority of our staff who work hard every day to serve our students and clients."
