YORK COUNTY, Va. — A bus assistant for the York County School Division was arrested Tuesday for charges related to spraying a child with a cleaning solution.
The York-Poquoson Sheriff's Office posted about the arrest on Facebook, saying a 7-year-old child with special needs spit on David Keith Blackwell, and in return, Blackwell sprayed the child in the face with what appeared to be window cleaner three separate times.
Investigators say this all happened Tuesday afternoon at the York County School Division’s bus garage.
The child's parents let the school know what happened.
Video from the bus shows the child was strapped into a harness in his seat, which is common for a bus designated for special needs children.
"The video makes it pretty clear that it did seem the boy was trying to spit on him, but there was at least one seat between the two of them and he sprayed the young man in the face multiple times," said West.
Blackwell, 70, was charged with three felony counts of Malicious Bodily Injury by Means of a Caustic Substance, and one count of Abuse and Neglect of Children.
"The whole situation is unfortunate if I’m being honest," West said.
A York County School Division spokeswoman said Blackwell was employed by them at the time of the incident, but no longer works for the division.
"The York County School Division is committed to providing safe, secure and caring environments in which all individuals demonstrate mutual trust and respect," she wrote.
West said he understands Blackwell could have gotten frustrated with the student, but this was not the answer.
"When you’re dealing with a special needs child, especially when you know that’s what you’re going to be dealing with on a regular basis, you have to be an adult. You can’t just act on emotions," he said.
Looking at the almost 400 comments on the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office Facebook post, people are questioning the incident and the felony charges Blackwell faces.
"I woulda slapped the kid" and "jail the brat" and "sounds like the kid got what he deserves" are just a few of the comments.
"This is a seven-year-old child," West emphasized. "The fact of the matter is that we did arrest a 70-year-old man for assaulting a child. The child’s actions, though should be considered -- especially in a court -- don’t necessarily come into play when we’re determining probable cause. The crime that he’s charged with has specific elements, he met all of those elements clearly and the deputies acted appropriately."
Blackwell was taken to the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail, and is no longer employed with the school division. Blackwell has since been released on a $2,500 bond.
West said the Commonwealth's Attorney is reviewing the video and the charges.
His next court appearance is scheduled for March 8.
If you know anything that could help sheriffs deputies with this investigation, call the area's Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.