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Shocking footage captured a psychiatric worker in Virginia dragging a young boy by a shirt wrapped around his neck before allegedly tampering with the video evidence.
Michelle Yates and her former employer, the Grafton school in Berryville, were accused of physically abusing a child and destroying surveillance evidence in a lawsuit brought on behalf of the 13-year-old boy.
According to the Winchester Gazette, Yates and Grafton were expected to appear in the Winchester Circuit Court in a civil lawsuit where the footage is anticipated to be a major part of the evidence presented during the trial.
The footage from one of Grafton's surveillance cameras shows two psychiatric workers tending to some residents, including the young teen boy.
Yates, wearing a jolly red Christmas sweater and a face covering, is seen standing next to the boy before he began grabbing at her legs with both hands.
In front of all the other residents, including her colleague, she aggressively grabbed the child by his shirt and dragged him a couple of feet across the room.
As Yates adjusted her grip, the boy's blue shirt wrapped around his neck as he still tried to cling to her legs.
In another pull, his arms go limp after she lugs him across even further by the shirt around his neck.
Michelle Yates and her former employer, the Grafton school in Berryville, were accused of physically abusing a child and destroying surveillance evidence in a lawsuit brought on behalf of the 13-year-old boy. The footage from one of Grafton's surveillance cameras shows Yates wearing a red Christmas sweater dragging the boy
The boy lay motionless for a moment before again lunging towards Yates' legs.
She finally grabbed the boy's arm as her coworker opened a door behind her, dragged the child inside, and shut the door between them.
The attorney's claim that the aftermath was caught on tape but was destroyed by the facility.
'Families place their children in facilities like Grafton expecting their safety to be protected,' said Gray Broughton, an attorney on behalf of the plaintiff, to The Winchester Gazette.
'This case raises serious questions about staff conduct and how the facility responded after the incident.'
The footage appears to show the shirt get caught around the boy neck before she puts him behind a door separating themselves. Throughout the video the boy reaches at her legs
The filing claims that Yates and Grafton caused physical harm, institutional failures related to supervision, and failed to preserve evidence.
Grafton’s Berryville facility describes itself as a secure center that provides children and adolescents with the skills to succeed in a community setting.
Grafton’s marketing and communications team said the organization does not comment on matters in litigation when the outlet reached out to comment.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Grafton’s Berryville facility for comment.
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