“Y’all were supposed to protect him": Mother slams Bradenton teachers arrested over allegedly tying non-verbal son to a chair

A Bradenton Exceptional Student Education (ESE) teacher and a teacher's aide are accused of tying up a 7-year-old non-verbal student. The incident took place on February 2, 2024, at G.D. Rogers Garden-Bullock Elementary School in Bradenton.

WFLA reported that the accused have been identified as 31-year-old Carina Chindamo and 39-year-old Taylor Internicola, who were allegedly caught on video from the playground of the elementary school using a nylon walking rope to tie up the student. The 7-year-old's mother, Takeila Jones, slammed the teachers and said,

"Y’all were supposed to protect him, y’all were supposed to watch out for him and teach him, not put him in harm’s way with these people that hurt him."

WTSP reported that on February 6, 2024, ESE teacher Carina Chindamo was apprehended and charged with false imprisonment of a child under the age of 13. Although a warrant has been issued for her arrest, teacher's aide Taylor Internicola has not been taken into custody yet.

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Bradenton teachers allegedly restrained the student with rope for about an hour

FOX 13 Tampa Bay reported that, according to authorities, security camera footage from the Bradenton elementary school's playground revealed Carina Chindamo and Taylor Internicola tying the 7-year-old victim's wrists with a nylon walking rope.

According to the report by FOX 13 Tampa Bay, the victim was seated on the ground behind a chair, which had a rope wrapped around its leg. Authorities mentioned that he was restrained with the rope for about an hour. The video reportedly caught the Bradenton teacher and teacher's aide sitting on the chair, and it seemed that they were using their weight to restrict the child from freeing himself.

ABC Action News reported that on the morning of February 4, 2024, Takeila Jones received a call from a child protection services investigator to discuss an incident involving her son, Jhalio Richardson. 15 minutes after the call, Takeila received another call from Jhalio's principal.

According to the report by ABC Action News, on February 5, 2024, Takeila visited the school and learned that the school's guardian noticed the incident on the school's surveillance system and reported the abuse.

WFLA reported that Takeila Jones said her daughter noticed the incident at recess but remained quiet as it involved a teacher. Takeila said,

"My daughter saw it when they were at recess. She didn’t want to say anything to me because she thought ‘it’s his teacher, it’s Miss so-and-so, it’s fine, I didn’t think anything of it. He was over there crying and stuff like that and I didn’t want to get in trouble.'"

The nylon rope that was used to tie up the student is typically used to teach students to walk in a line.

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The victim's mother cannot place her trust in the Bradenton school or teachers

WFLA reported that Takeila Jones said that after the incident, she feels like she cannot trust the school or the teachers. She mentioned that she is not only concerned for her son but also for the other students. Takeila said,

"It’s really upsetting me because my child, like I said, is autistic, he’s non-verbal. He can’t tell mommy what’s happening, what’s not happening. All he can do, you know, is just be himself."

According to the report by WFLA, Takeila is considering switching schools for all her children, and she seeks justice for what her son had to go through. She said,

"Justice from the parties involved, justice from the school board, justice from the school itself, because you guys failed my child."

Following the incident, the School District of Manatee County issued a statement that read,

"The highest priority of the School District of Manatee County is student safety. While we do not typically comment on matters which are currently being investigated by law enforcement or the State Attorney’s Office, the Bradenton Police Department has announced warrants for the arrest of an exceptional student education teacher and an aide for their conduct involving one of our students at Rogers Garden-Bullock Elementary. The details of this incident, as described in the Bradenton Police Department Press Release, are disturbing and reprehensible."

The statement by the School District of Manatee County continued,

"The District has been fully cooperating with law enforcement throughout this active investigation. All of our protocols have been followed, including the employees’ removal from the classroom immediately after the incident was reported and reassignment to other District locations where students are not present."

ABC Action News reported that officers with the Bradenton Police Department stated that the investigation into the case remains active and ongoing. They are also trying to determine if there are other victims.