Horry County special education teacher jailed on misdemeanor child-cruelty charge, district says

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — A special education teacher at St. James Intermediate School in Horry County allegedly put a student in an “inappropriate hold” while the student was having a “behavioral episode” and dragged him across a room, according to an Horry County police report obtained by News13.

Gabriel Hernandez, 28, was booked into the J. Reuben Long Detention Center after his arrest on Friday by U.S. Marshals, according to online jail records. He is facing a misdemeanor child-cruelty charge.

Hernandez has been on administrative leave with pay since March 20, according to a spokesperson for Horry County Schools, who said he will remain on leave until further notice. The alleged incident took place on March 17.

A witness told police that Hernandez also put all of his body weight on the child’s legs “by sitting on him and pinning him to the ground for approximately 30 seconds before a teacher’s aide intervened,” the police report said.

According to an arrest warrant, Hernandez dragged the student by his feet across the room and then “aggressively picked the victim up off the floor and then slammed him into the chair in the seated position.”

Count on News13 for updates.