Two Washington School Employees Arrested for Abusing Disabled Residents

According to a recently published Washington State Department of Social and Health Services web site press release, the Washington State Patrol (also known at the WSP) arrested two employees of the Rainier School for the developmentally disabled located in Buckley, Washington this past Tuesday, October 2nd. The two employees were officially arrested for being physically abusive towards residents during a school outing to a nearby camp on the school grounds.

The Department of Social and Health Services has announced that it is ready to take disciplinary actions against the employees when all charges are filed against them.

Robin Arnold-Williams, the secretary of the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, said, "Safety is our number one priority and any abuse, neglect or otherwise inappropriate behavior in our institutions is not tolerated. Families place their trust in us to care for residents living at Rainier and we must not let them down."

The way that the department found about about the reported abuse was because an anonymous person actually videotaped the entire outing, including the actions of the Rainer workers and the developmentally disabled residents. Luckily, the Department received work that none of the residents were harmed or injured during the outing.

At the moment, an investigation is still taking place. It is a joint investigation by the Washington State Patrol and the Department of Social and Health Services.

Washington State Patrol Chief John R. Batiste said, "We appreciate the cooperation we got from DSHS as we investigated this case. We only become aware of this matter because DSHS officials contacted us after viewing a very troubling videotape."

In the State of Washington, neglect of the disabled, elderly, or challenged, whether physical, verbal, or mental abuse, is considered a serious crime.

More information about this case will be released by the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services at a later time at their official web site.

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