The mother of a young autistic boy is seeking justice after she says a therapist violently mistreated her son during what was supposed to be a routine therapy session in Florida. The therapist, Reylan Garnier, is now facing a felony child abuse charge and appeared before a Palm Beach County judge on Saturday. During that hearing, the court granted him bail at $7,500 with the condition that he never contacts the child while the case moves through the legal system.
Authorities say Garnier turned himself in to police on Friday after a probe was launched by the Lake Clarke Shores Police Department into the alleged abuse. The probe began after the child’s mother, Diana Hernandez, reported suspicious injuries on her son following a session at Maximum Achievers, a therapy center that provides services for children with developmental needs. According to reports, the mother saw bruises and what appeared to be a bite mark on the child’s back when he returned home.
According to investigators, surveillance cameras inside the facility captured the alleged abuse on February 23. The footage reportedly shows Garnier throwing objects and physically striking the child during the therapy session.
Court documents claim the therapist threw a ball at the young boy with significant force, and also a shoe that he removed from his foot. He allegedly repeatedly struck the boy while holding the ball and used the shoe to strike the boy in his lower back. At one point, the child was reportedly pushed back into a wall and hit in the face.
The probable cause affidavit further states that the therapist used other objects during the incident, including a racket and a book, to hit the child. The child suffered more abuse when Garnier allegedly grabbed him, flicked his ear, hit him in the face, and repeatedly kicked him in the legs when he was standing and sitting.
Following the incident, the therapy center confirmed that Garnier is no longer employed there, saying the worker seen in the video had been fired. Disturbed by the injuries, Hernandez contacted both the therapy facility and local law enforcement to report what she believed had happened.
“It’s horrible,” she said, explaining that she, like every parent, fears not being present to protect their child when the child is harmed. “I just want justice for my son.” While her son is traumatised, she said he has shown remarkable resilience in the days following the incident. “He’s still smiling,” Hernandez said.
After his arrest, Garnier spoke briefly with reporters outside his West Palm Beach apartment. The therapist expressed regret, saying he had believed he was capable of helping the child but ultimately failed.
“I regret everything,” he added.
Garnier also explained that he immigrated to the United States from Cuba and said he came to the country hoping to build a better life. He insisted that he is not the person being portrayed in news reports and described the incident as a moment when he lost control.
