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WESTBROOK, Maine — A Maine man accused of assaulting a 6-year-old special needs student last spring while working as an ed tech at Westbrook Elementary School was sentenced Friday in superior court.
As part of a plea deal, 62-year-old Dan Spring received a suspended 30-day probation sentence.
The boy’s parents, whose son has autism, said he is still traumatized by what happened and feel that Spring’s punishment is too light.
Tricia and George Higgins told Superior Court Judge John O’Neal that their son George had been dealing with fear, distrust, and behaviorial issues since his ed tech assaulted him last April.
“My son doesn’t want to go to school; he is scared to go,” George Higgins testified.
“This is a very stressful situation for us as his parents. Can you imagine what it is like for a 6-year-old little boy?” Tricia Higgins said.
Dan Spring, who pleaded guilty to assaulting the child, sat behind the couple in court. The incident happened while the 62-year-old was working as an ed tech at Congin Elementary School in Westbrook. Spring was bringing George, who has autism, back from the playground. According to court documents, a teacher and three other educational technicians witnessed the event.
“On the day in question, the defendant was being headbutted by the victim, the defendant grabbed him and pulled him through the hallways, and with some force pushed him back into the classroom,” Cumberland County Assistant District Attorney said.
Another witness said that after this, Spring walked past George, shoved him in the shoulder, pointed a finger at him, and said, ‘You messed with the wrong one.’ Spring was placed on leave and later resigned. He recently gave up his state teaching credentials. He also spoke to George’s family in court.
“I want to apologize to George and his family and wish them well in the future,” Spring stated.
George’s family agreed with the prosecutor’s request for a ten-day jail sentence. However, the judge gave Spring a suspended sentence of 30 days’ probation, noting that he had no criminal record and pleaded guilty. For the next year, Spring must not contact the victim’s family or commit any crimes.
“He should have gone to jail in my eyes. If I did that to my son, they would take him away from me, and I would be in jail,” George’s father declared.
“He is not sorry that he did that to my son; he is sorry that he got caught,” Tricia said.
George is now 7, and his family is helping him recover from the incident. They believe it may take years for him to heal.
Spring must pay a $ 300 fine, attend an anger management class, and is prohibited from working in educational settings or supervising minors.