A New York City special-education teacher was arrested and charged for allegedly putting a five-year-old student in a chokehold, police said.
Anthony Wicks, 46, a teacher at P.S. 153 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Elementary School in Hamilton Heights, allegedly grabbed the boy by the neck with both hands around 1:30pm Monday, according to prosecutors.
He was charged with second-degree assault and acting in a manner injurious to a child. The judge ordered Wicks not to have contact with the child and he has been placed on supervised release following his arraignment on Tuesday.
When asked if he understood the judge’s orders, Wicks replied: ‘Yes, of course,’ CBS News reported.
Wicks, who’s worked for the NYC Department of Education for five years, was seen walking out of Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday with his husband.
Anthony Wicks, 46 (right), a teacher at P.S. 153 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Elementary School in Hamilton Heights, was arrested after allegedly putting a five-year-old student in a chokehold
The alleged incident occurred inside a classroom after the five-year-old refused to go in the ‘time-out corner’ after being told to do so by the head teacher, according to the student’s older brother (Pictured: P.S. 153 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Elementary School)
The alleged incident occurred inside a classroom when the five-year-old refused to go in the ‘time-out corner’ after being told to do so by the head teacher, the child’s older brother told CBS News.
According to parents, Wicks is an assistant teacher at the school.
‘He was making a fuss about going in the time-out…and then the teacher choked him,’ the brother said.
‘That teacher wasn’t the one who was even talking to him…What other people have told me is that when he was getting choked, he was crying and then wouldn’t calm down.’
The child’s father was told to come to the school after the principal informed him of the incident, telling the father that the boy was OK.
‘It was a scary moment for him. He said that…his teacher’s hands were tight around his neck and that he said that he would be good and that he asked his teacher to let go,’ the father, who wished to remain anonymous, told the outlet.
Wicks (right) is seen walking out of court on Tuesday with his husband after his arraignment at Manhattan Criminal Court
Meanwhile, a parent of a child in the five-year-old’s class said she was left in the dark about what happened.
‘I had to find out through social media,’ the unnamed mother said.
‘That teacher is the teacher of my child, my five-year-old child, and it’s so upsetting because the school did not disclose anything…I went to go speak in there, and they couldn’t give me any information. I want to withdraw him today.’
DailyMail.com contacted Wicks for comment..
A spokesperson with the Department of Education said: ‘This alleged behavior is completely unacceptable, and this employee has been immediately removed from this site.
‘Pending the outcome of the arrest and if convicted, we will pursue their termination. There is nothing more important than the safety and well-being of our students.’
Wicks (middle) is featured on the school’s website, smiling next to a group of teachers and administrators
The judge ordered that he not have contact with the child and he has been placed on supervised release following his arraignment
According to Wicks’ Facebook profile, he is from Toledo, Ohio and currently lives in Manhattan.
He double majored in English and creative writing/theater at Siena Heights University and went on to get his Master’s degree in early childhood special education at CUNY Hunter College.
Prior to working for the city’s education department, Wicks was a preschool teacher for three years, CBS News reported.
He is featured on the school’s website, smiling next to a group of teachers and administrators.
