HENDERSON (FOX5) — A Clark County School District teacher’s aide has been arrested on a felony child abuse charge after authorities said she struck a 6-year-old special needs student at a Henderson elementary school.
Julia Elena Martinez-Ebner surrendered to authorities alongside her attorney Wednesday morning and was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on one count of child abuse or neglect, according to court and arrest records.
The report says the incident occurred the afternoon of Sept. 16 at Robert L. Taylor Elementary School.
According to an arrest report from the Clark County School District Police Department, the assistant principal was interacting in a hallway with a 6-year-old special needs student in foster care who had been running around.
After the assistant principal confiscated the item they were running around with, the child broke away, kicked a closed door, and slapped Martinez-Ebner on the left side of her face with an open palm, investigators said.
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According to police and witness statements, Martinez-Ebner turned around and struck the boy across the left side of his face with a stack of papers she was holding. The impact knocked the child to the floor.
Investigators said Martinez-Ebner then threw the stack of papers at the boy while they remained on the ground.
Following the encounter, Martinez-Ebner told staff she felt like she was going to faint and was transported by Henderson Rescue to Henderson Hospital for evaluation.
The student was examined by the school nurse, who noted no visible blood or bruising, and the child reported he was not in pain at that time. While the student’s foster parents initially declined to pursue criminal charges, school police moved forward with the felony arrest based on school hallway surveillance footage, witness statements, and mandatory reporting protocols involving Child Protective Services and Clark County Family Services.
Martinez-Ebner was booked into CCDC at approximately 9:15 a.m. Wednesday and faces child abuse and neglect charges.
Martinez-Ebner appeared in court Thursday morning, where her bail was set at $5,000.
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