A Lawrence woman accused of assaulting a 10-year-old boy with autism while on a bus appeared in court on Friday where she was ordered to be released, but required to wear a GPS monitor.
During a dangerousness hearing, prosecutors told the court that bus monitor Nancy Vasquez, 56, regularly abused a 5th grade boy living with autism during his one hour drive to and from school.
“Every single day, she does, in fact, abuse this 10-year-old special needs child,” prosecutor Erin McAndrews said. “She hits him with a sandal, she hits him with her cell phone multiple times. She pinches him, she twists his arm – she continuously smacks him in the face.”
The prosecution said the abuse was only exposed because the boy’s father, Anthony Amero, reported that his child seemed to be terrified every time he got in the van each day.
Both Vasquez and a bus driver, Marlene Cruz, 38, were recently arrested by Methuen police, with Vasquez charged with Assault and Battery on a Disabled Person while Cruz was charged with Permitting Abuse of a Disabled Person.
“He doesn’t speak, but he knows how to clap, and that’s the only way he’s able to communicate and try and get her to stop,” McAndrews said.
When school officials reviewed footage from inside the van, authorities say they found shocking scenes of abuse.
The prosecutor said when confronted about the allegations, Vasquez allegedly tried to blame the boy’s parents.
“She denies that she ever abused this child,” McAndrews said. “However, the video doesn’t lie.”
During the hearing, she said the tape showed a second child in the van was also abused.
McAndrews told the court that the second child’s parent was among eight parents who wrote letters insisting that Vasquez was always wonderful to their children.
“You can see her go to slap that child, you can see her throw a water bottle at that child – you can see that her actions caused that young child to go into a complete fit, based on Mrs. Vasquez’s actions,” McAndrews said.
Vasquez’s family was in court for the hearing, where her lawyer called her a loving single mother and grandmother, not a monster.
Her lawyer also said that Vasquez was never educated on how to work with special needs children, and was barely trained for her job.
“Nancy is a loving and caring mother, who lacked appropriate training and was way over her head,” said defense attorney Darya Ferrari.
Vasquez was ultimately found to be dangerous, but was released to home confinement without bail, with a GPS ankle bracelet and her family at her side.
When asked about the defense’s allegation of a lack of training, NRT Bus, Vasquez’s former employer, told 7NEWS they couldn’t comment on any pending litigation, while reiterating that children are their top priority and that they were taking part in the investigation.
The company contracted with Methuen Public Schools previously said in a statement:
“We have no tolerance for this alleged behavior and both employees have been terminated. We are fully cooperating with local authorities as this matter is being investigated.”
This content was originally published here.