Tyler man pleads guilty to beating nonverbal autistic teen

TYLER — A Tyler man pleaded guilty Tuesday afternoon to two charges of beating a nonverbal autistic teenager last year while he was working as an employee at a community home. According to our news partner KETK, Auston Reed, 24, was captured on video grabbing the victim by the neck, and hit him in the side of the head with an open hand, causing the victim’s head to snap to the side. The 19-year-old cannot speak, so he was unable to communicate what was happening to him. 241st District Court Judge Jack Skeen sentenced Reed to 10 years in prison on each charge, which will run concurrently. The abuse happened at a group home owned by a company called Community Access in Tyler.

Another employee from the home, Bubacarr Ceesay, is also charged in the case, but has shown indications in preliminary hearings that he wants to advance to trial. He is next due in court on Feb. 24. It’s not clear if Reed would testify against him.