Devereux employee charged in assault of teen
WEST WHITELAND » Police have arrested a staff member at the Devereux Kanner Center in West Whiteland Township after video surveillance showed him hitting a 16-year-old nonverbal client several times about the head and face with his fists.
Olasoji Satimehin was arrested by West Whiteland Police in connection with the incident which occurred on Sept. 12, 2020, police said.
Satimehin, police said, was an employee at the facility at the time of the alleged crime. A staff member at Devereux had reviewed surveillance video from that date. The staff member allegedly observed a client being assaulted by Satimehin. The staff member reported the incident to the police.
An investigation was conducted and video surveillance was obtained. Police said the video shows Satimehin allegedly striking the client four or five times in the head and face with his fists. The victim was a 16-year-old, non-verbal client with intellectual disabilities.
Satimehin was arraigned and later was released on an unsecured $50,000 bail. Satimehin’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 22, 2020.
Late last year, three employees at the Devereux facility in West Whiteland were arrested in connection with the physical assault of a 16-year-old special needs student there. That assault was also captured on surveillance video. Charged were Andrene BennettWint, 35, of Newark, Del., Tyrena Adams, 51, of Philadelphia and Cecelia Gbor, 22, of Darby.
And in 2018, five staff members at Devereux were arrested in connection with abuse of clients. Charges were filed against Christina Borden, 27, of Yeadon; Monique Scott, 25, of Pomeroy; Solgie Barbar, 38, of Upper Darby; Kimberly Dawkins,
32, of Lansdowne; and Jordan Brothers, 25, of Philadelphia.
Devereux serves children, adolescents and young adults — from birth to age 21 — with autism spectrum disorders, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and behavioral and emotional disorders. Each year, more than
1,000 children and adolescents receive specialized care there.