BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — An LVN turned herself in to police Wednesday after being accused of hitting a child with autism on camera, police said.
Gabriela Bejarano Pena, 48, was arrested on charges of injury to child/elderly/disabled after a warrant for her arrest was issued by the Brownsville Police Department.
Police said on December 17, 2022, Pena was caring for a 3-year-old nonverbal child with autism as an LVN.
Video surveillance from inside the residence revealed that Pena struck the child twice in the head as she was changing the toddler, the release stated. The parents turned the video over to police in early March.
On March 20, detectives called Pena and asked her to come and talk about the case. Pena told the detective she would be at the station the next day to provide a statement. The next day, Pena’s attorney notified police that she would not provide a statement.
On Monday, an arrest warrest was issued for Pena. Wednesday morning, she surrendered to police and was arraigned.
Her bond is set at $20,000.
