Behavior analyst sentenced to 45 days of jail for assaulting 9-year-old with autism in his care

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- A Colorado Springs man received 45 days in jail on Tuesday after pleading guilty to one charge of felony assault of an at-risk person. Brian Schaffer pleaded guilty to assaulting a 9-year-old child with autism who was in his care in April.

Schaffer's charge stems from an incident that took place at a Colorado Springs therapy center in August of 2021. A nine-year-old with autism who was in Schaffer's care told police that Schaffer choked him for long enough that he couldn't breathe, saying he was terrified and felt like he was going to die. He also reported that Schaffer lifted him off the ground and threw him.

In addition to the jail time, Schaffer was sentenced to three years of supervised probation.

Watch KRDO NewsChannel 13 a 5 p.m. to hear the victim speak at Schaffer's sentencing.