5-year-old’s nose is broken when worker throws her against bookshelf, Texas cops say

A behavior technician accused of breaking the nose of a 5-year-old girl with autism has been arrested in Texas, authorities say.

Cierra Marshall-Williams, the now-former employee of BrightPath Behavior, is charged with injury to a child following the Dec. 13 incident in Katy, a suburb of Houston, court records show.

Officials at the facility contacted the child’s mother, initially saying the girl had “bumped her nose” when she tried to escape, according to an affidavit.

The girl’s injuries became more severe, and her mother took her to a hospital when staff said her nose started to “turn purple,” authorities said.

Hospital staff said the girl’s nose was broken, with her lab results showing “visible scaring, permanent disfiguration and (the need for) potential surgery,” according to the court documents.

The next day, staff at the facility called the mother again, telling her Marshall-Williams had lied about what happened, according to a Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputy.

Surveillance video showed Marshall-Williams had thrown the 5-year-old girl “into a bookshelf, causing her pain and a broken nose,” authorities said.

A motive for the incident was unclear.

BrightPath Behavior, a facility that caters to children with autism, told KHOU that Marshall-Williams was fired from her job.

Court records show Marshall-Williams, 22, was employed at the behavioral facility for 11 months.

“The well-being and safety of our clients and employees is our top priority,” the statement from the therapy center said. “Our leadership reported the matter to the proper authorities and have already taken swift action to terminate the individual involved. We continue to fully support the investigation.”