Bond set for Hillsborough County school bus aide accused of hitting child with autism

RUSKIN, Fla. - A Hillsborough County school bus aide was in court on Monday, after being arrested and facing a charge of child abuse.

James Savage, 79, is accused of hitting a nine-year-old boy who has autism and is nonverbal.

RELATED: Hillsborough County school bus aide accused of hitting 9-year-old student with autism: HCSO

What we know:

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to Cypress Creek Elementary School in Ruskin last week for a report of child abuse.

Deputies spoke with the victim’s mother, who reported concerns that her son, who is nonverbal with autism, had been abused on the school bus. Investigators learned that on one occasion, Savage allegedly hit the victim in his hand and slapped him in the face with his hat. 

Dig deeper:

On Tuesday, Savage appeared in court where a judge set his bond.

The judge set Savage's bond at $10,000 and ordered him to have no contact with the victim or other children.

The other side:

His attorney asked the judge to release him on his own recognizance. However, the judge said that because of the charge, he had to set bond.

"I've watched the video online," Anthony Duran, Savage's attorney, said. "It's online. Essentially, the child grabs Mr. Savage by the hand, and Mr. Savage swiped it away. And there's an allegation that he hit him with his hat, but it looks like from the video that he actually hit the seat. Like he was mad at the child and he slammed it down on the seat. He didn't actually make contact with the child, based on my review of the video. So, I don't even think this rises under case law to the level of child abuse."

Savage's attorney said he has no prior criminal history.

"I think if a parent had done the exact same thing, that parent wouldn't have been charged in this situation," Duran said.