Texas Teacher Arrested for Allegedly Breaking 5-Year-Old Autistic Boy's Fingers During Altercation

McKinzie Merrell, 31, is accused of bending back the fingers of Noah Moore, a kindergartner at Plfugerville Elementary, during an altercation on September 4. The incident resulted in fractures to the child's right pinky and ring fingers, court documents show.

The child's father, Donte Moore, told CBS Austin he noticed unusual behavior when Noah returned home from school that day. When asked what was wrong, Noah told his father, "Mrs. Merrell broke my fingers."

Medical staff at St. David's North Austin Medical Center later confirmed the fractures. According to investigators, Merrell claimed Noah had kicked her, and she responded by bending his fingers. Surveillance footage captured of Merrell and the child did not support her claim.

Noah's father expressed frustration that the school did not notify him or take immediate action. "Why was my son suffering all day with two broken fingers?" he told local media. "He told staff members what happened, and no one helped him."

Court documents also revealed that Noah informed another teacher about the incident, but the teacher failed to report it or take him to the school's nurse.

The Pflugerville Independent School District Police Department launched an investigation after Noah's parents reported the injury. Merrell was later taken into custody.

Merrell was charged with injury to a child with a disability causing serious bodily injury, a first-degree felony. The district confirmed Merrell is not a certified teacher, but was working toward earning her certification. According to court documents obtained by KVUE, Merrell bonded out of jail Wednesday morning.