LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A Clark County School District early childhood and special education teacher is facing charges after being accused of harming autistic students on three separate occasions.
According to an arrest report, the incidents happened at the Gilbert Academy of Creative Arts in North Las Vegas.
On Feb. 21, 2024, police were contacted after a teacher, later identified as Rima Villaret, was seen pushing a student onto a table and holding them down.
Police spoke with three different teacher's aides who worked with Villaret in the early childhood and special education class, which was designated for special needs students with autism between three and five years old.
On Feb. 12, aides told police a student was making loud, squealing noises, which upset Villaret. She then told the boy "stop it" repeatedly and that Villaret pinned the five-year-old to the table, was holding him down by the chest, and his legs were dangling over the edge of the table.
The little boy then allegedly asked "What did I do?" before laying on the ground and touching his back. Aides told police they saw a bruise on his lower back later that day.
On the same day, aides told police a three-year-old student was having behavioral issues and was pulling other students' hair. That's when aides said Villaret pulled the student's arm and placed them underneath her desk for "time out". They said Villaret sat in a chair in front of the desk preventing the student from leaving and they were under the desk for about three minutes.
On Feb. 13, Villaret was seen on surveillance video and multiple witnesses pulling a four-year-old autistic student by the back of the shirt collar through the cafeteria.
Villaret was arrested on Feb. 21. During an interview with police, the report claims Villaret didn't know what officers were talking about but that she changed her story multiple times.
She allegedly told officers one student was getting on top of a table, she told them to stop, and that she put her hand out causing them to fall on the table in a seated position. She denied physically restraining the student.
When asked about the timeout incident, Villaret told officers she did put some kids in timeout but couldn't name which students were disciplined. She also couldn't explain where she put the kids in timeout, according to the report.
Police said Villaret also denied pulling a student by the shirt collar. When officers mentioned surveillance video shows the incident, Villaret said she didn't remember doing that but "If it was on camera then it must have happened".
Child Protective Service also told police this isn't the first child abuse investigation involving Villaret. She was also investigated in April 2023 for an incident involving two students at Lunt Elementary School. The case was "unsubstantiated due to a lack of information".
Villaret's next court appearance was scheduled for Wednesday. She is facing child abuse, battery, and false imprisonment charges.
