Crime
The man was working at a Franklin residential program for people with disabilities when he allegedly broke the student’s arm.
Allison was indicted Feb. 26 in Norfolk Superior Court and arraigned Wednesday. David L Ryan/The Boston Globe
A Rhode Island man has been indicted on an assault charge after he allegedly broke an autistic student’s arm while working at a residential program in Franklin for people with disabilities.
Saturs Allison, 27, of Pawtucket, R.I., is charged with assault and battery on a disabled person causing serious injury in October 2025, court records show. He pleaded not guilty and was released on personal recognizance.
Allison was later indicted Feb. 26 by a grand jury in Norfolk Superior Court, records show. Following a hearing Monday in Wrentham District Court, he appeared in the higher court for an arraignment Wednesday.
At the time of the alleged assault, Allison was an employee at Amego, Inc., an Attleboro-based residential program for people with developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder. Specifically, he worked at a group home in Franklin which “provides learning and development support” for children with autism, according to court filings.
Part of Allison’s role as a staff worker was to help the children work through self-injurious behavior, according to a Franklin police report. On Oct. 13, 2025, he was sitting with a male student who requires one-to-one care when the student began hitting the wall next to him.
Allison repeatedly told the student to stop, but he continued to hit the wall and began banging his head against the wall, police wrote in the report. Allison then allegedly grabbed the student’s left arm and neck, pushed him to the ground face-first, and attempted to place both his arms behind him.
At that moment, Allison allegedly jammed the student’s left arm to the floor, breaking it in the process. The entire incident was allegedly caught on the group home’s security footage, and an “audible snapping noise” could be heard at this point, according to the police report.
Multiple staff members, including Allison, then took the student to Milford Hospital, where an x-ray showed that his upper arm was “completely broken in half.” The student was in a cast for weeks as a result, and he is continuing to attend physical therapy to regain full control of his arm.
The next day, Cameron Jones, the program coordinator at Amego, went to Franklin police and told them about the alleged assault, according to court filings.
Jones reviewed the home’s surveillance footage of the incident and relayed the details to police, court records show. He also noted that Allison could allegedly be heard falsely claiming to another staff member that the student caused his own arm to break by pulling away from him.
Amego develops specialized behavioral support programs for each student, and staff workers are required to complete trainings which show that they understand them. These programs include de-escalation techniques and a restraint policy, according to court filings.
The residential program keeps records of all completed trainings to ensure that staff members know how to work with students. In Allison’s case, records show that he reviewed the student’s program June 7, 2025 and knew how to assist him and deescalate the situation.
Jones told police that Allison’s actions were “way outside any policy or procedure within Amego” and completely violated the provider’s approved restraint techniques, according to records. Furthermore, Jones noted that Allison resorted to physical restraints far sooner than what would have been necessary in such a situation.
Allison was immediately suspended from working at the group home and “told not to come back pending further investigation,” according to the police report. The Department of Children and Families was later notified.
If Allison is found guilty, he faces up to five years in prison and up to a $1,000 fine. He is due back in Wrentham District Court for another hearing April 7, court records show.
Allison’s attorney, Edward J. Sweeney III, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday night.
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