WATERFORD A man facing charges for allegedly head-butting and kicking a 3-year-old Town of Waterford boy while giving him autism therapy has been suspended from his job indefinitely.
Stephen T. Jacobs, 27, of Wauwatosa, was working with the severely autistic boy through Autism Intervention Milwaukee, a Wauwatosa-based provider of diagnostic and treatment services for young children with autism.
Autism Intervention Milwaukee clinical psychologist Kathleen Woody said Tuesday that Jacobs was suspended immediately after the boys mother notified the company of the alleged abuse, which was reportedly caught on video Dec. 14.
The boy was Jacobs only current patient and he will not be given any new ones, Woody said.
He has been terminated from that case and will not be offered another case, she said. Our primary concern is the welfare of this child and every child we work with.
Autism Intervention Milwaukee has about 70 therapists including full-time workers and part-time ones like Jacobs. Such an abuse allegation against a therapist is an isolated incident, Woody said. She added Jacobs had worked with the company since 2009, with no prior abuse reported.
We of course did a due diligence background check. His references provided were very strong, she said.
Jacobs was filmed allegedly abusively handling the Town of Waterford 3-year-old after the boy started crying Dec. 14 during an at-home therapy session.
The video recording reportedly shows Jacobs who is listed in his criminal complaint as 6 feet 8 inches and 260 pounds disciplining the boy for crying by shaking his body, head-butting him in the face and kicking his head. Jacobs also reportedly threw the boy into a couch and intermittently elbowed him in the face, shoved his face into a cushion and took away his blanket.
Jacobs was charged Monday in Racine County Circuit Court with one count of physical abuse of a child by a care provider. If convicted, he could face up to $25,000 in fines and up to 12 1/2 years in prison plus five years on extended supervision, or both.