Mother of autistic teen prepares to take legal action
FirefighterNation Staff
JENNINGS, Florida — The mother of an autistic teenager wants charges brought against firefighters involved in boxing with her son, according to WTXL.
The Hamilton County sheriff is investigating an incident revealed by a video that shows April Pinkard’s son boxing with a firefighter with the Jennings Volunteer Fire Department.
The incident occurred at the end of September, but the sheriff’s office received a report of the incident on October 4.
The Jennings Volunteer Fire Department is currently shut down due to the suspension of its firefighters.
The video shows Pinkard’s son with an unidentified firefighter, each wearing boxing gloves. The firefighter throws punches, pushing the autistic teen back and down onto the ground.
The firefighter continues to punch Pinkard’s son while he is on the ground.
To date no one has been charged in relation to the video. Pinkard’s mother tells WTXL that she has retained a lawyer and is preparing to take legal action.
Pinkard says her son has high-functioning autism but also has under-developed social skills.
She says that since the punching her son is suffering from headaches.
The Crossroads and Jasper fire departments are responding to emergency calls in Jennings while the suspension is in place.
