School workers charged with abusing special needs students, feeding hot sauce to child with digestive issues: Police

SMYRNA, Delaware (WJW) – Three school employees face charges after investigators say they allegedly abused and neglected students with special needs at a Delaware elementary school.

The investigation, led by the Smyrna Police Department and Delaware Department of Justice, started back in February.

According to Smyrna police , the investigation revealed "an alleged pattern of troubling behavior in a special needs elementary classroom" in the Smyrna School District.

Employees in the classroom allegedly threw things at the students, called them names and yelled at them, according to investigators.

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One of the suspects named in the investigation, 31-year-old Makayla Lomax, is accused of hitting a student in the face and spraying them with a water bottle to discipline them.

Investigators say the other suspects, 26-year-old Marrisa Johnson and 21-year-old Morgan Donahue, allegedly fed hot sauce and hot Takis to a special needs student, who they knew had digestive issues, in the fall of 2022.

The three women were arrested this week.

Lomax faces nine counts of endangering the welfare of a child and offensive touching. She was handed a $12,500 bond.

Johnson faces 10 counts of endangering the welfare of a child. She was handed a $10,000 bond.

Donahue faces one count of endangering the welfare of a child. She was handed a $500 bond.

The Smyrna School District released a statement on social media after the arrests, stating that those employees haven't worked with students since the allegations came to light in February.

"We have worked diligently with our law enforcement partners throughout the investigation. The community and school system have been patiently waiting the conclusion of those extraordinary efforts," the statement said, in part. "We appreciate the diligence and thoroughness of law enforcement in bringing closure to this troubling matter."

The Smyrna Police Department said in a press release that the school district cooperated throughout the investigation.