A staff member of a program that helps adults with disabilities is accused of beating a non-verbal student with a metal cane in Trumbull earlier this week.
According to police, a staff member at ICES, was arrested on Tuesday. The organization's website says ICES supports individuals with intellectual disabilities and people with autism spectrum disorder.
Officers were called to ICES around 3 p.m. after getting a complaint of an assault on a student. Investigators said earlier that morning, 53-year-old Andre Dickens, of Waterbury, was sitting in a chair across from a 41-year-old non-verbal student when Dickens got up, went over to the student and beat the student with a metal cane.
Authorities said Dickens hit the student several times and caused lacerations and facial injuries as the student tried to climb away.
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Dickens reportedly had told staff members that the student had tripped and fallen and caused their own injuries. After the incident, Dickens brought the student to Bridgeport Hospital for treatment.
The student was left at the hospital to receive medical treatment and Dickens returned back to ICES. Authorities said when questioned, Dickens said he did not hit the student, but only chased the student around while holding the cane. Officers said the police investigation and video recordings of the incident showed otherwise.
Dickens was at ICES when he was taken into custody. He was charged with assault on a disabled/intellectually disabled person. He was held on a $20,000 bond and is due in court on July 16.
U.S. & World
The executive director and chairman of ICES released a statement on Thursday saying:
“Nothing is more important to us than the safety, care and well-being of our residents and day program participants, and we are outraged that any of our employees would harm someone in our care. We immediately reported the incident, involving an adult male in our program, to the Trumbull Police Department and the Department of Developmental Services and are fully participating in the investigation. The employee in question and three others have been placed on unpaid administrative leave pending the investigation’s conclusion. This kind of behavior is unimaginable and goes against everything we stand for as a company in terms of our culture, values and the standard of care we provide each day to the people we serve,” said Chet Doheny.
