Suffolk police: Worker at Smithtown care facility charged for allegedly pushing, injuring resident

A Central Islip man employed at a home in Smithtown for developmentally impaired people was arrested and charged Wednesday for allegedly pushing a resident, causing him to suffer facial injuries when his head hit the floor, the Suffolk County Police Department said.

Raliek Leonard, 28, allegedly "assaulted a resident" at the Developmental Disabilities Institute on June 2, the police said in a news release.

Suffolk police officers responded to the Hollywood Drive facility on June 3 after a report of injuries to "a non-verbal adult resident with Down Syndrome," including "facial lacerations and a swollen lip," the day before, the release said.

Police obtained video surveillance footage allegedly showing Leonard pushing the resident into a room about 1:10 p.m. on June 2, "causing him to strike his head on the floor," police said.

Leonard was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person, a felony, and third-degree assault, a misdemeanor, according to police. He was being held overnight at the Sixth Precinct in Selden and is scheduled for arraignment Thursday at First District Court in Central Islip.

Leonard has been suspended from the facility, police said. The state’s Justice Center for the Protection of People With Special Needs is conducting an independent investigation.

Representatives of the Developmental Disabilities Institute could not be immediately reached Wednesday evening for comment.