A former Pulaski County Special School District employee has been arrested in the assault an autistic teenager on a bus earlier this year, according to authorities.
Kay Surratt, 62, of North Little Rock was arrested Monday on one count of second-degree battery in the assault, online filings in Little Rock District Court show. She was released Tuesday after posting $5,000 bail.
In a previous district employee contract listing, Surratt was reported to be a bus aide.
The victim’s mother reported Feb. 7 that her 16-year-old son was assaulted by Surratt while traveling on a school bus on Interstate 30 in the area of 6th and 9th streets in Little Rock, police said.
Surratt put her hands around the teen’s neck and slammed his head into a bus window, according to a Little Rock Police Department report sent out Wednesday.
The school bus was heading to the son’s caretaker in Maumelle when the assault happened on the side of the interstate, police said.
Deborah Roush, a spokeswoman for the district, said Surratt was suspended Feb. 9 pending a district investigation and "suspended pending termination" Feb. 13. She was terminated March 14 because she did not request a hearing during the allotted time period, Roush said.
The spokeswoman said the district filed a police report "immediately upon becoming aware of the incident."
Authorities noted that video was available from the school bus at the time of the attack. Little Rock police spokesman Steve Moore said the video would not be released as of Wednesday because of the ongoing investigation.
The North Little Rock Police Department was initially called "due to [the bus] continuing to travel [north on I-30]," but that agency said the case was out of its jurisdiction.
The case went "back and forth between jurisdictions" until August, Moore said. A delayed report was eventually filed with Little Rock police.
Read Thursday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
