A Queen Creek mother trusted Action Behavior Centers to care for her nonverbal 5-year-old autistic son, but police say the woman assigned to help him instead hurt him during sessions at the clinic. Khamara Holmes, who worked as a registered behavior technician at the center, now faces two counts of aggravated assault tied to allegations involving multiple children in her care.
According to police documents cited by AZ Family, Holmes allegedly picked the 5-year-old boy up by his wrists and tried to throw a large yoga ball at his head. Because the boy is nonverbal, his mother said he could not tell her what had happened to him during his time at the clinic. The allegations first came to light through the outlet’s reporting, which remains the primary account of the case as it moves through the legal system.
Court records reviewed by the station describe a second incident in which another child was allegedly thrown into a bathroom. Police documents also indicate Holmes allegedly threw a child to the ground during a separate episode. Action Behavior Centers did not respond to requests for comment on the allegations, the station’s report notes.
How the Charges Escalated to Felony Level
The two aggravated assault counts Holmes now faces reflect a specific legal threshold under Arizona law. Under Arizona Revised Statutes § 13-1204, a misdemeanor assault charge escalates to felony aggravated assault when committed by an adult against a minor under 15, or against a victim whose capacity to resist is substantially impaired. Felony aggravated assault involving child victims in Arizona can carry sentences ranging from Class 6 to Class 2 felonies, according to the Salwin Law Group…