A fourth-grade teacher at Rosewood Elementary School in Los Angeles was charged Friday with a felony count of child abuse for allegedly putting a plastic bag over a 10-year-old girl’s head in class.
Thelmo Garcia, 37, pleaded not guilty in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom and was ordered to remain jailed in lieu of $100,000 bail.
Garcia, who was arrested Wednesday, allegedly placed a plastic bag over the girl’s head during class Feb. 5, then removed the bag after several seconds.
He was removed from the Rosewood campus in February, according to Ellen Morgan of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
“We take these allegations very seriously,” Morgan said in a statement. “The (school) district is fully cooperating with the LAPD investigation. Crisis intervention counselors are at the school today for any students who might be affected by the arrest. The safety of students is L.A. Unified’s highest priority.”
Garcia faces up to six years in state prison if convicted, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
—City News Service