Former Manatee Teacher Pleads No Contest in Restraint Case Involving Special Needs Student
A former Manatee County exceptional student education teacher has pleaded no contest to a charge of false imprisonment in connection with a February 2024 incident involving the restraint of a 7-year-old nonverbal student with autism.
Carina Chindamo entered the plea Monday in Manatee County Court. Judge Stephen Whyte accepted the plea and withheld adjudication, meaning a formal conviction will not appear on her record if she complies with court-ordered sanctions. Chindamo will serve six months of community control—a form of closely supervised house arrest—followed by 12 months of probation. She is also required to complete 50 hours of public service.
As part of her sentence, Chindamo is prohibited from having any contact with the victim, as well as any unsupervised contact with children under the age of 13. She is also barred from supervising anyone under the age of 18.
The charges stem from an incident caught on school security cameras on February 2, 2024. The footage showed Chindamo and fellow aide Taylor Internicola tying the boy’s wrists with a nylon walking rope, a device often used to help children walk in a line. The rope was then secured to the leg of a chair while the child sat restrained on the ground behind it for approximately one hour. At various times, both Chindamo and Internicola were seen sitting on the chair, appearing to use their weight to keep the child from moving.
Internicola and a third aide, Hydalmy Ortiz, also face charges. Their criminal proceedings remain ongoing in Manatee County Court.
All three former school employees are also facing civil lawsuits filed by the child’s parents, who are seeking damages related to the incident.
