Achieve Center employee accused of child abuse asked teacher to lie about victim being in a fight: Police
NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. - An instructional assistant at the Achieve Center in New Port Richey has been arrested on allegations of child abuse.
What we know:
According to the New Port Richey Police Department, the administration at Achieve Center called the agency to investigate a child abuse complaint that occurred at the campus located at 6915 Madison Street in New Port Richey.
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Investigators say Allan Craig, an instructional assistant at the Achieve Center, assaulted an 8-year-old boy.
![Allan Craig mugshot courtesy of the Pasco County Sheriff's Office.](https://images.foxtv.com/static.fox13news.com/www.fox13news.com/content/uploads/2025/01/932/524/allan-criag-mugshot.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Allan Craig mugshot courtesy of the Pasco County Sheriff's Office.
Police say witnesses told them that Craig pulled the child out from underneath a table, threw him to the ground, and pushed him up against a wooden cabinet before taking him to another room.
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In that other room, officers say the victim was seen with a bloody nose.
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The victim also told investigators that Craig had choked him earlier that morning on the bus.
Dig deeper:
Police say Craig also sent a text message to a teacher, asking them to falsely claim that the victim had been involved in a fight with another child at the school.
Craig was arrested and charged with felony child abuse and tampering with a witness.
What we don't know:
Police have not said what led to the alleged incident.
What is the Achieve Center?
According to its website, the Achieve Center serves children in grades K-5 who have significant emotional/behavioral challenges.
The Source: This story was written with information from the New Port Richey Police Department.
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