Caretaker arrested after man with autism severely burned

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - A woman is facing charges following an investigation into how a man she was caring for suffered a severe burn to his back.

According to the Baton Rouge Police Department, officers arrested Dairyonna James, 29, of Baton Rouge, on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, on charges of cruelty to infirm and aggravated second-degree battery.

James, a caretaker at Harmony Center Group Home/Florida Street Group Home, is accused of pouring boiling water on a non-verbal man with autism after he grabbed her to get her attention. According to police, that incident happened on Nov. 12, 2024.

James was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison.

She had no prior criminal history, officials confirmed.

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