Grantosa paraprofessional accused of striking child: criminal complaint
William Houghton
MILWAUKEE - A 63-year-old Milwaukee man is accused of striking an 11-year-old child on a school bus outside Grantosa School on the city's northwest side. The accused is William Houghton – and he is charged with one count of physical abuse of a child (intentional causation of bodily harm).
Accused of abuse
What we know:
According to the criminal complaint, Milwaukee police were dispatched around 8 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 22, to Grantosa School on the city's northwest side. Officers met with the school's assistant principal who reported that an 11-year-old student "was struck by a teacher identified as William Houghton," the complaint says.
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Officers learned that on Sept. 18, the student was on the school bus to go home around 4:30 p.m. The school bus was equipped with video surveillance. The criminal complaint says a review of that video "shows the bus driver attempting to buckle (the 11-year-old) in on the bus. The child, who officers learned was "autistic, non-verbal" and a person who uses a wheelchair, was "swinging his arms and was resisting being restrained on the bus," the complaint says. At some point, the complaint says, the defendant entered the bus, went directly to the child, and restrained the child's arms. The "defendant's back is to the camera, so the incident is not clearly visible, but it appears that (the child) gets one of his arms free and strikes the defendant. The defendant then quickly reacts by slapping (the child) across the face," the complaint says. The complaint goes on to say "it appears that the defendant winds up his arm twice to strike (the child) in the face."
Grantosa School, Milwaukee
The complaint says the bus driver saw the defendant strike the child. He then took the child home to his mother "who observed a mark on (the child's) face," the complaint says.
Initial appearance
What's next:
Houghton made his initial appearance in Milwaukee County court on Friday, Sept. 26. A signature bond of $5,000 was set in the case.
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Houghton is due back in court for a preliminary hearing for Oct. 6.
Milwaukee child abuse probe; paraprofessional accused of hitting child
Milwaukee police are investigating an alleged case of child abuse that occurred at Grantosa Drive School on the city's northwest side on Thursday, Sept. 18.
The Source: Information in this post was provided by Wisconsin Circuit Court Access, the criminal complaint associated with this case and previous FOX6 News coverage.