From the
Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Here's the
TV news report from The AP. And the
Dallas Morning News reports that in addition to the fight club incidents, "dozens of other employees were fired for serious abuse and neglect, including whipping a resident on the face with a belt and not trying to revive a resident who hanged herself, state records show."
CORPUS CHRISTI — Five former state school employees accused of staging fights between residents pleaded not guilty May 19 to injury to a disabled person charges.
Guadalupe Delarosa Jr., 22, Timothy Dixon, 30, Vincent Johnson, 22, D’Angelo Riley, 22, and Jesse Salazar, 25, appeared before District Judge Sandra Watts for arraignment on the third-degree felony.
Riley, Salazar and Delarosa were each indicted on three counts. Dixon faces four counts and Johnson was indicted on one count.
Watts has placed the five men on pre-trial supervision and warned attorneys Tuesday to limit their comments to the media in what has become a highly-publicized case across the nation.
A sixth defendant, Stephanie Garza, faces the same charge but as a state jail felony. The 21-year-old is accused of failing to intervene. She will be arraigned on May 29 in another court.
Arrest warrants were issued March 12 for the six after a cell phone was turned over to authorities which showed employees at the school encouraging and videotaping residents with mental disabilities punching, wrestling and choking one another.
Delarosa’s trial is set for July 27 and Johnson’s trial is set for Aug. 10. Salazar, Riley and Dixon all have trials set for July 6 in Watts’ court, while Garza’s trial is set for the same day in District Judge Jose Longoria’s court.
Riley is the only one of the six who still remains in Nueces County Jail.
If convicted, the five men each face two to 10 years in prison on each count. Garza faces as many as two years in jail. Both felonies carry as much as $10,000 fines.
From the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Here's the TV news report from The AP. And the Dallas Morning News reports that in addition to the fight club incidents, "dozens of other employees were fired for serious abuse and neglect, including whipping a resident on the face with a belt and not trying to revive a resident who hanged herself, state records show."
