What to Know
- An ACS worker in Kips Bay is accused of slamming a 6-year-old boy in his care into a door frame and cutting his face, police say
- Jacques Edwards, who also tried to put the boy into a file cabinet, is charged with assault and endangering the welfare of a child, cops say
- News 4 learned Edwards served 28 years behind bars for second-degree murder and was paroled in 2010
An Administration for Children's Services worker who served nearly three decades for murder is accused of attacking a 6-year-old boy in his care.
Jacques Edwards, 55, is charged with assault and endangering the welfare of a child after he allegedly slammed the child into a door frame and tried to put him inside a file cabinet, according to the NYPD.
Police said the boy suffered a cut to the left side of his face after the attack at the Nicholas Scoppetta Children’s Center on First Avenue in Kips Bay. There was no word on the boy’s condition early Tuesday.
News 4 learned Edwards served 28 years behind bars for second-degree murder and was paroled in 2010. He has been working for ACS for the past four years.
An ACS spokesperson said the agency is doing a full investigation of the hiring process in place when Edwards was hired.
"Our top priority is the safety and wellbeing of New York City’s children," the spokesperson said. "As soon as this employee’s actions came to our attention we immediately removed him from duty and alerted law enforcement.”
In a press conference Tuesday afternoon, ACS Commissioner David Hansell echoed similar sentiments.
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"Within ACS we are reviewing the circumstances that lead this individuals hiring here some years ago," he said. "But I can tell you that today we have hiring protocols in place that are much stricter in regards to hiring and vetting staff for positions involving working with children and working with young people."
Hansell also said the agency uses the guidelines of the state's Justice Center, in addition to their own review of job candidates.
"Under those reviews, I don't believe this person would have been hired today," he said.
