NORTH MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A Miami-Dade occupational therapist was arrested after police said he abused a 5-year-old boy during treatment, leaving the child with injuries that required hospital care.
According to an arrest report, the incident happened on July 16 while the boy was attending his daily therapy session.
Investigators said Leonardo Daniel Rivas, 42, squeezed the child’s cheeks together and repeatedly forced a speech therapy device known as a “Whisper Phone” into the boy’s mouth, covering his mouth several times.
Police said the child became upset, and Rivas then allegedly held the boy down in a chair and forcefully pushed down on his legs.
