Assault charge after child restrained at school facility in Ontario: police

An assault charge has been laid after an incident at a school facility in Niagara Region, police say.

Niagara Regional Police said that in April, officers with the force’s child abuse unit launched an investigation into an incident that happened at the Mountainview Centre for Innovative Learning at 1604 Merrittville Highway in Welland.

“This Pathstones school utilizes a teacher and a mental health counsellor in each classroom to provide specialized programs for children with various mental health and learning challenges,” police said.

“Detectives were contacted after concerns arose that a mental health counsellor was using restraint techniques, that were outside of their scope of training, on a child at the school.”

Police said they determined “that the actions taken by the counsellor amounted to excessive use of force and assault.”

On Thursday, detectives arrested 22-year-old Grimsby resident Madison Porkolab.

Porkolab has been charged with one count of assault and was released with a future court date.

“Detectives believed that there may be more victims and are asking for those victims to come forward,” police said.