Poudre School District employee arrested, accused of assaulting kindergarten student

By Web staff

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    LARIMER COUNTY, Colorado (KCNC) — An employee with the Poudre School District was arrested after allegedly hitting a kindergarten student. Now investigators believe there may be more victims.

Fort Collins Police said they were notified of the possible assault on Tuesday.

The employee, Tyler Zanella, was a Poudre School District paraprofessional who rode the school buses. Officers viewed the surveillance video from the school bus which investigators said showed Zanella, 36, hitting the kindergarten victim.

That victim has disabilities. Investigators were able to determine the assault had happened on multiple occasions, April 25, May 19, and May 22 based on the video surveillance reviewed.

“I’m grateful for the swift and thorough investigation by our School Resource Officers and the Poudre School District to prevent the suspect from continuing these reprehensible actions,” said Sergeant Andy Ferraro who oversees the Fort Collins Police School Resource Officer Team.

Zanella was arrested on Wednesday on several charges including third-degree assault on an at-risk juvenile, and child abuse.

Zanella was booked into the Larimer County Jail. Investigators believe there may be additional victims. Anyone with information regarding this case or other cases involving Zanella is asked to contact Officer Dexter Rowe at (970) 472 3705.

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