RICHLANDS, Va. (WJHL) — A Richlands Elementary School special education teacher was arrested after police said she taped a child to a desk.

The Richlands Police Department charged Jessica McCoy, 41, of Richlands, with two counts of abduction and two counts of cruelty to a child, according to a release by the police department.

The police department said it became aware of allegations of child abuse at the school on Feb. 10. The allegations had been reported to the Department of Social Services on Feb. 7 by school employees.

Investigators with Richlands police and the Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office interviewed witnesses and employees of the school system on Feb. 10 and Feb. 11.

According to the police department, after interviewing witnesses and reviewing evidence collected at the school, investigators determined that McCoy had “assaulted and committed acts of abduction related to her treatment of a five-year-old minor male child.”

“Multiple witnesses observed McCoy tape the victim to a desk for prolonged periods of time during the week of February 4th through the 7th 2025,” the police department said in a release.

The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are possible, according to the police department.

“As the husband of an educator, I know just how much most teachers care for their students,” Chief of Police Ronald D. Holt II said in the release. “They understand the weight of their duties and the trust that we place in them to care for our children. Jessica McCoy violated that trust. This child deserved better. His family deserved better.”

McCoy is being held without bond, according to the police department.