COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCBD) – A teacher’s aide in South Carolina has been charged with child cruelty after allegedly using duct tape to restrain a 4-year-old student.
The investigation began when authorities responded to Seven Oaks Elementary School in Columbia on Wednesday after a parent reported that their child had been taped to a chair by a school employee, according to a Lexington County Sheriff’s Office incident report.
Olivia Murray, 25, was working as a teacher’s aide in a 4K classroom when the 4-year-old was placed in the back of the classroom for “flipping around and not listening to instruction,” an arrest warrant showed.
The teacher had stepped away from the classroom for a few minutes and that’s when affidavits allege that Murray taped the student’s legs to a chair using duct tape from a cabinet in the classroom.
“The incident was corroborated by the 4K teacher and a confession from the defendant during a post-Miranda interview,” the affidavit said.
The parent told police that she thought the employee was targeting her child over a complaint she made in January about issues that she identified between the student and Murray. The parent also said that the student’s folder and schoolwork has been marked “in an aggressive and inappropriate manner,” which she reported to the school.
According to the incident report, the student was checked out by a school nurse. It also noted that Murray was sent home by the school before law enforcement was contacted.
“Based on our investigation, Murray, who works as teacher’s aide, used duct tape to tape the student’s legs to a chair Wednesday while the teacher was out of the classroom,” Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said. “Murray told detectives the student had been moved to the back of the classroom for being disruptive and not listening.”
Murray was arrested Wednesday night at her home. She is being held in the Lexington County Detention Center.
