Peoria therapist accused of abusing nonverbal 5-year-old at autism treatment facility

A man reportedly caught on camera kicking a 5-year-old child in the face was arrested Thursday, according to the Peoria Police Department.

Adolfo Salas allegedly assaulted the nonverbal autistic child at an autism treatment facility just before 2 p.m. Monday, police said. The child’s diagnosis means he was unable to tell anyone what happened, according to court records.

Salas worked as a “master registered behavioral technician” at Soar Autism Center, near 83rd Avenue and Bell Road, before the alleged assault, court documents said. He was conducting a one-on-one session with the child when the incident occurred.

A report from the facility to police triggered the investigation, during which detectives reviewed surveillance footage that appeared to show Salas kicking the child.

In the footage, the child was on his hands and knees on the ground next to Salas’ feet. Describing the video, police say Salas brought his right leg backwards and then extended it forward toward the direction of where the victim’s head was. The child then let out a loud cry, and his upper body moved upward with the force of the kick.

After the kick, Salas sat down and stared at the child for approximately 11 seconds before picking up a tablet, according to the probable cause statement. The child, still on his knees and crying, appeared to go into an emotional crisis. Salas then walked toward the child and backed him into a wall, standing over him as the boy braced himself and cried, the document states.

Salas is 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 195 pounds, according to motor vehicle records submitted to the court.

Salas told police he “accidentally kicked him in the face,” adding that he meant to kick a chair out of the way, according to arrest records.

Peoria Police Sgt. Shelly Montes said the facility “did the right thing” by calling immediately and said it appeared to be an isolated incident.

“From what I read is that he claimed that he kicked the child on accident, but the video says otherwise,” Montes said.

Salas is facing felony child abuse and aggravated assault on a minor charges.

At an initial court appearance, a prosecutor requested an $100,000 bond, citing the severity of the allegations and Salas’ position of trust working with vulnerable children.

“Had there not been some sort of video recording, which did allegedly record the incident, there was no way for this child to be able to tell anyone about the assault,” prosecutor Ashley Stetson told the judge.

A judge set bond at $5,000 with electronic monitoring and a curfew. Salas was ordered to have no contact with minors, with the exception of his own children, who do not live with him.

His next court dates are June 10 and June 12.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Serena O’Sullivan contributed to this report.

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