Former DPS aide who hit child with autism gets probation

Crime & Law
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4 hours ago
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A former Dayton Public Schools paraprofessional who struck a young nonverbal child with autism on the back of the head and picked him up by the ankles was sentenced to probation.

Darrick T. Sorrells, 57, was sentenced Friday afternoon by Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Elizabeth Ellis to up to five years of community control sanctions. He pleaded guilty Sept. 5 to assault and a misdemeanor endangering children charge. A second endangering children count was dismissed as part of his plea.

Video from Rosa Parks Early Childhood Learning Center showed Sorrells on Aug. 21, 2023, pulling 3-year-old student Braylen Tootle in a wagon down a hallway when the boy got out and started running. Sorrells could be seen in the footage knocking the boy to the floor and then picking him up by the ankles. Another employee saw the incident and took the child away from Sorrells.

The child’s parents, Robert Tootle and Taneshia Lindsay, said they weren’t informed of the incident until they picked up their son from school.

Tootle and Lindsay in July announced a civil lawsuit filed against Sorrells and Dayton Public Schools. They said they felt disrespected and can’t trust the school to take care of their son.

Tootle and Lindsay dismissed the case Oct. 31 without prejudice —which means that it can be refiled — according court records.

Taneshia Lindsay, right and Robert Tootle, center, react to questions from the media about their nonverbal, autistic son, Braylen, who was hit in the head by a former DPS employee, at attorney Michael Wright office in downtown Dayton Tuesday, July 23. The family is pursuing a lawsuit against the school system and former employee. JIM NOELKER/STAFF

Credit: Jim Noelker

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Credit: Jim Noelker

Photo of 3-year-old Braylen Tootle, who was hit in the back of the head by a DPS employee. Courtesy of Taneshia Lindsay.

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Jen Roppel Balduf covers breaking news for the Dayton Daily News. She earned a bachelor of science in journalism degree from Ohio University and also writes for the Journal-News, Springfield News-Sun and Dayton.com.