Parents hire therapist who ties scarf around 4-year-old son's neck during daycare nap time, cops say

Inset: Joseph Kosse (Colorado Springs Police Department). Background: Springs of Life Children's Center in Colorado, where Kosse allegedly assaulted a 4-year-old (Google Maps).

A 36-year-old behavioral therapist in Colorado is accused of abusing a 4-year-old at a daycare, allegedly tying the boy up with a scarf so he would "learn a lesson."

Joseph Kosse was taken into custody Friday and charged with one count of felony second-degree assault and one count of misdemeanor child abuse, court records show.

According to an incident report from the Colorado Springs Police Department, officers at 3:24 p.m. on Oct. 23 responded to a possible abuse call at Springs of Life Children's Center in the 2300 block of Academy Pl. The caller told the dispatcher that "a 4-year-old child had been tied up by a therapist while at the facility."

Police noted that the therapist was employed by the child's family and did not work at the daycare.

The CSPD Crimes Against Children Unit took over the investigation on Oct. 27, conducting multiple interviews with witnesses as well as a forensic interview with the victim. Investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Kosse on Oct. 29, arresting him the following day.

Authorities provided additional information about the circumstances of Kosse's arrest in a probable cause affidavit obtained by local ABC affiliate KRDO.

According to the report, Kosse worked for a company called Grace Way Collective Behavioral Therapy. The victim's family reportedly worked out an arrangement with the daycare so their son could have one-on-one therapy sessions at the facility during nap time.

During the Oct. 23 therapy session, the daycare director said she heard a child crying and went to investigate. When she asked Kosse what happened, the therapist reportedly told her the 4-year-old had tried to tie a scarf around his own neck. Kosse allegedly said he responded by tying the child up with a scarf so the boy would "learn his lesson."

The director called the police after she reportedly noticed visible red marks on the neck of the child, who also complained that his neck hurt.

Speaking with police, the child reportedly said that Kosse "tied a scarf on my neck," adding that he was "holding it too tight."

In a statement to KRDO, Springs of Life said that Kosse and other therapists employed by Grace Way Collective Behavioral Therapy were no longer allowed on its premises.

Kosse was booked into the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center. He had been released from detention by Monday evening, according to jail records.

It was not immediately clear when Kosse was scheduled to appear in court.