Greece CSD bus monitor charged after parents report son was choked

GREECE, N.Y. (WHEC) — A Greece Central School District bus monitor is facing charges after a seven-year-old student’s parents reported that their son was choked on his way home from school.

It happened on Monday. The Greece Central School District was said it was made aware on Tuesday morning and the employee was put on leave, started an investigation, but then turned it over to the Greece Police Department.

On Wednesday, Greece Police said Alonzo Peritore, 70, of Greece was charged with criminal obstruction of breathing and endangering the welfare of a child and issued an appearance ticket to return to Greece Town Court on June 14.

Police say a School Resource Officer worked with Greece Central School District personnel to interview everyone involved and review video evidence from the bus.

Yesterday a @GreeceCentral spokesperson told us the employee was put on leave pending the outcome of an investigation. We are waiting to hear the current status of his employment. @news10nbc

— Raven Tiara Brown (@WHEC_RBrown) May 18, 2022

News10NBC Anchor and Reporter Raven Brown spoke with Abdul Bounds, who says his son is the child involved in the incident.

Bounds said he and his son’s mother are extremely angry and that the boy is shaken up at the thought of getting on the school bus again. Bounds says the monitor put his hands around his son’s neck and choked him.

“What went through my head wasn’t really what a person in your mind would grab a seven-year-old little boy by his neck and then laugh about it and say, ‘This is how we play,’” Bounds said. “Like who plays with kids like that?”

Bounds added, “Our child told me that a white bus matron grabbed him by his neck with two hands, choked him literally, head went forward, head went back, hit the seat, my son sat down and looked like he was in distress. Like he was like scared.”

Bounds said his son is now terrified of riding the bus to school.

“Well, as of last night, took him to an urgent care and they gave them some medicine so they could be able to swallow it as food,” Bounds said. “He said his throat hurt. My son does not want to ride the bus anymore to school.”

Bounds said the bus monitor tried to apologize but says there’s no reason an adult should put their hands on a child and said he’s angry with how the school district handled the situation by not releasing the video.

“You know, I hate for a person to lose their job, but I demand he lose a job,” Bounds said. “He shouldn’t be able to work around no children again. Again, the culture and the times that we live in people be playing with people children like that.”

News10NBC reached out to the school district this afternoon to get the status update of Peritore’s employment, they tell us the substitute bus attendant is still on leave.

Greece police told News10NBC it will not be releasing the video of the incident.