A special education teacher from Collins-Rhodes Elementary School in Mobile County, Alabama, has been detained following the hospitalization of a 4-year-old with alcohol poisoning.
According to the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, Tracy Elaine Walker, 56, was arrested on Wednesday and accused of aggravated child abuse.
The school’s website names Walker as a special education teacher there.
MCSO officials reported that on April 28, the child was taken to USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital. Tests revealed her blood alcohol concentration was .286, surpassing the legal limit by 3.5 times.
The Prichard Police Department was originally the leading agency on the case. The MCSO Child Protection Unit, however, took over the case May 6.
The MCSO stated, “In an interview with MCSO Detectives, the 4-year-old child mentioned that her teacher had given her a drink that made her feel unwell.”
“To us, that’s a step towards justice being served,” the father of the 4-year-old child stated. “I’m still trying to process it.“
A Mobile County Public School System spokesperson released a statement following the arrest:
“We take all allegations seriously. The teacher was placed on administrative leave when this allegation was first made. We have been cooperating with law enforcement on the investigation, and we will continue working with them.”
