Florida teacher arrested after photo shows her putting student with autism in ‘choke hold'

A Florida special needs teacher has been arrested after a photo showed her placing a 3-year-old student with autism in a "choke hold," authorities said.

Vilma Otero, 59, was arrested Aug. 24 by the Volusia County Sheriff's Office on a charge of child abuse without great bodily harm, records showed.

The alleged incident happened at Forest Lake Elementary School in Deltona, where Otero is a teacher.

According to an arrest report, another teacher who works in same classroom said the incident happened while Otero was reading to children during story time.

The other teacher was setting up the next activity on the other side of the classroom when she heard a child start to scream and cry and turned around.

"She observed Otero sitting in a chair with [the child] between her legs being held down in a choke hold manner," the report said. "[The child] was in distress and was attempting to escape from the position Otero had put him in."

The other teacher grabbed her phone and took several photos as the boy struggled to free himself, the report said.

His "face was turning red as he was crying and screaming while attempting to free himself from Otero's legs," the report said.

The report didn't say how long the boy was held or how he got out of the hold.

Deputies met with the boy, who wasn't able to give many details due to his age and being on the spectrum, the report said.

"I got in trouble at school," he told the deputies, according to the report, adding "she hurt me."

The deputies noticed a slight redness on the boy's neck, the report said.

Deputies also met with Otero, who said she's been a teacher for 36 years, the majority dealing with special needs children, the report said.

Otero denied physically restraining the boy, even after she was shown the photo, the report said.

Otero was booked into jail and later released. Attorney information wasn't available.

Volusia County Sheriff's Office