YORK COUNTY, Va. — A teacher at Yorktown Elementary School was arrested after reports that she assaulted a student on more than one occasion.
The York-Poquoson Sheriff's Office says Stacy Ames, 53, a kindergarten teacher at the school, was arrested Friday night.
News 3 reporter Kelsey Jones sat down and spoke with Sheriff Ron Montgomery, who says a school resource officer got an alert to head to the school on Friday.
Upon further investigation, the sheriff says a 5-year-old student was assaulted on more than one occasion.
"The teacher that witnessed this, saw the teacher, Ms. Ames pick the child up by the child's arms. The statement from the teacher said Ames threw the child about two to three feet. Now the child's feet left the ground and the 5-year-old landed on her feet and then fell to the ground," said Montgomery.
According to deputies, the investigation revealed there were two separate incidents—one on March 21 and another on March 24.
Deputies said both incidents were reported to the sheriff's office and the school district on March 24.
"Last night we interviewed the child, the child's mother, the teacher that was involved and the witnesses. Based on the information that we were able to gather Friday we charged the teacher with two counts of simple assault and battery" said Montgomery.
Ames was transported to the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail, according to deputies.
The sheriff's office says Ames has been released on an unsecured bond.
Saturday, York County School Division administrators posted a message to Yorktown Elementary School families on Facebook.
The school division's superintendent, Dr. Victor Shandor, released this statement regarding the situation involving Ames:
"The York County School Division and Yorktown Elementary School are committed to providing safe, secure and caring learning environments for our students. As educators, we are entrusted with the well-being of the children in our care every day. We expect our staff to conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times, and any time there is a question of safety or misconduct, we immediately investigate.
The division is working closely with the Sheriff’s Office in the ongoing investigation. The staff member will not be permitted on campus while this investigation is ongoing and we will follow division policy regarding employment status.
Amber Davis, a Yorktown mother, says she's shocked a teacher is accused of assault towards a minor.
"We put our trust in these people to take care of our kids while we're at work, and they're not doing what there supposed to be doing. Something needs to be done" said Davis.
News 3 did ask school officials if Ames is still employed with the school system but they were not able to share those details.
Stay with News 3 for updates.
