JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An Alden Road Exceptional Student Center paraprofessional was arrested July 16 on felony child abuse charges following an investigation into the alleged mistreatment of a nonverbal autistic student at a Jacksonville-area school, according to a newly obtained arrest report.
Donald Heine, 51, was taken into custody by the Duval County School Police. He faces three charges: felony child abuse without great bodily harm, misdemeanor battery, and simple assault.
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According to the arrest report, the alleged abuse occurred July 7 during the summer school session. The victim — a nonverbal autistic student — urinated on himself and the surrounding floor area. According to the report, witnesses said Heine became enraged, grabbed the student roughly, forced him to the ground near the urine puddle, and used the student’s body and shirt to wipe up the mess before a custodian could respond.
Another teacher provided a written statement describing what she saw.
“[He] grabbed and lifted [the student] down to the floor, pulled his head down and made him wipe like a mop before he let the custodian clean the area,” the reporter said.
A second witness also corroborated the account, saying Heine had a ‘rough encounter’ with the student and during that incident, the student urinated on himself while he was sitting down.
“Mr. Heine proceeded to wrestle [the student] in a rough manner and pushed him down to the floor where the pee was,” the statement said. “Hines grabbed [the student] and rubbed his body/clothes on the urinated floor in attempts to clean the mess.”
A separate alleged incident occurred the next day on July 8. According to the arrest report, the same student was spitting on others when Heine grabbed an antiseptic spray and sprayed it directly on the student’s head. The report said one teacher stated that he and others told Heine to stop, but Heine continued spraying.
The investigation started on July 8 after school officials were contacted about the incidents.
The victim’s parent told investigators the student arrived home July 7 with damp clothing that smelled of urine and that the student’s physical gestures indicated he was very upset. The parent stated a desire to pursue criminal charges against Heine.
The school’s principal notified professional standards, and a report was filed with the Florida Department of Children and Families.
Heine was also prohibited from being on campus while a criminal investigation and an internal human resources investigation were underway.