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KIRO 7 Undercover Video Leads To School Worker Arrests

POSTED: 4:37 pm PDT October 3, 2007
UPDATED: 4:45 pm PDT October 3, 2007

Two employees of the Rainier School at Buckley have been arrested after video shot by undercover KIRO 7 Eyewitness News crews shows state employees allegedly mistreating vulnerable clients at the school for the disabled.

Police expect to make one more arrest in the case, which is the result of work by Team 7 Investigators who shot videotape at a park outside the school in Buckley.

The Washington State Patrol said Karl R. Whitehouse, 41, of Wilkeson, was arrested for investigation of two counts of fourth-degree assault and Michelle A. Martin, 27, of Enumclaw, was arrested for investigation of one count of assault.

Team 7 Investigators are still working undercover, looking into conditions at the facility run by the Department of Social and Health Services.

However, in light of the arrests, some of the clips shared with the Washington State Patrol are being released.

In one clip, an employee is seen moving across the park toward a disabled client, a girl playing with a stuffed monkey doll. The employee flings it away.

In another clip, a caretaker in is seen grabbing a client, marching him across the yard, then sitting him down. The caretaker later slaps the client on the side of the head.

In another clip, the same caretaker is seen striking a disabled woman in the face twice.

Other clips show a female caretaker apparently striking a client in the back of the head and coming back about 30 seconds later to gently rub the same client's head.

Officials have not said which pieces of video caused the State Patrol to make arrests for assault.

State experts who watched the video said all of the clips highlighted behavior that is a violation of state policy and procedure on the physical handling of disabled clients.

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