(NEW YORK) — A school principal has been arrested on charges of aggravated child abuse and false imprisonment of a child under 13 years of age after allegedly physically attacking and detaining a student against their will for over an hour, police said.
The incident occurred last Friday at Destiny Leadership Academy — a private school in Ocala, Florida — when authorities from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call regarding a “physical disturbance between a student and the principal,” Dontay Akeem Prophet, 33, according to a statement from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office detailing the altercation.
“During the investigation, surveillance footage from the classroom was obtained, revealing Prophet preventing the child from leaving the room for over 40 minutes,” authorities said. “Surveillance footage captured him grabbing the victim, restraining him on the ground, and employing a chokehold. Prophet can be seen on camera using a charging cable to strike the child, causing the child to fall and sustain injuries. Additionally, Prophet twisted the child’s ankle, slapped the child in the face, and subjected him to further physical abuse.”
Prophet told police that the altercation was “an attempt to prevent harm to the child.” However, the evidence obtained by police in the course of their investigation “clearly contradicted this assertion,” authorities said.
Prophet was subsequently arrested and transported to the Marion County Jail where he is being held without bond, police said.
The identity, condition and age of the child were not released by authorities and the investigation into what caused the incident in the first place is currently ongoing.
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