Cops: Adult attacked autistic student

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - A parent who came onto an Albuquerque high school campus attacked an autistic student who called the man fat, according to a police report filed nearly two weeks after the alleged incident.

On Jan. 15 Ralph Hendrix came to Eldorado High School to pick up his daughter who was sick bypassing the office and not checking in with the front desk. A teacher told police Hendrix, who weighs about 300 pounds, verbally and physically assaulted the 20-year-old autistic student in his class.

"Mr. Hendrix turned around abruptly and grabbed {the student} with both hands and was extremely close to his face," the police report quoted the teacher as saying. The investigating officer also reported Hendrix said he assaulted the student because "(h)e called me a big fat man every day."

The student was shaken after the incident, and a week later a social worker said the student was crying and still afraid of Hendrix, the report said.

Eldorado administrators said they handled the situation internally at first. Twelve days later, they filed a police report.

The student's mother told KRQE News 13 she wasn't notified of the incident. A spokesperson for the Albuquerque Public Schools said Hendrix won't be back at Eldorado because his daughter transferred to another school.

Any further action would require the mother to press charges. However the mother said she has no plans to do that so her son doesn't have to go through any more stress over the situation.

News 13 attempted to contact Hendrix for his version of events, but he did not respond.