PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – A counselor at the Broward Youth Treatment Center, in Pembroke Pines, was arrested Sunday on accusations that he punched a teenage boy in the face.
According to an offense report, the victim told officers that he and Chris Wendell Jeffries, 26, had gotten into a verbal altercation on Saturday before the incident.
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He said they also had gotten into an argument on Friday inside a classroom because the teen went to the bathroom without permission.
Police said the victim claimed that Jeffries grabbed the boy by the shirt and pulled him from the bathroom.
The teen told officers that he punched Jeffries once in defense and told other teens at the treatment center about the altercation.
Police said Jeffries approached the teen the next day, accusing the boy of spreading lies about him, and punched the teen in the face.
The incident was captured on surveillance cameras.
Police said the duo were separated by other juveniles and staff members at the treatment center.
Authorities said the victim, whose age and identity were not released, was court-ordered to be there because he has an extensive criminal history.
According to the offense report, the assistant program director at the center, Carmita Rosenburg, told officers that the boy has severe attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and might suffer from depression.
Jeffries was placed on leave and will be terminated from the treatment center, Rosenburg told authorities.
He faces one count of child abuse without great bodily harm.