LIVONIA, Mich. (WXYZ) — A Garden City family is pushing for the firing of a school paraprofessional after he assaulted their 19-year-old daughter in a fit of road rage.
See the full story in the video below
Police say Jonathan Rutter followed the woman to a red light, got out, banged on her car and stuck his face in her window to curse and spit at her.
Olive Hamilton and her mother are now calling for the Garden City School District to fire Rutter after he was charged and convicted.
Olive said she was stopped at the intersection of Merriman and W. Chicago in Livonia back on June 16 when the incident happened, leaving her shocked and scared
I was not only frightened, it was more of the fact, who else is this happening too?" she said.
Police said Rutter was frustrated with how Olive was driving. He then hopped out of his car at a stopped red light, banged on Olive's window and then.
"He stuck half of his body in my car as he proceeded to yell and spit on me," Olive said.
All while calling Olive "A goofy b****."
"The only thing my mind could go to when he was walking back to his car is, I should probably get out and take picture," she said.
Olive sent that picture to her mother, who posted it on a neighborhood page and asked who the person was.
OLIVE Hamilton SENT THAT PICTURE OF RUTTER TO HER MOTHER, WHO POSTED IT ON A NEIGHBORHOOD PAGE INQUIRING: "WHO IS THIS GUY?"
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"And sure enough, the messages just started coming in that he worked for Garden City School District he worked with autistic special needs, he's a bus aid, and a respite to where he'll go into people's homes and give parents a break unattended," Olive's mother, Tiffany, said.
Garden City Public Schools confirmed Rutter is still an employee. Both Tiffany and Olive believe that this should change immediately.
"If you can look this man in the face and send him off to a school to work with children, not only children but autistic children, it's just not right. It shouldn't be happening," she said.
On Wednesday, Rutter was convicted of misdemeanor assault and battery. I spoke with him over the phone, but he declined to comment. We reached out to his lawyer for a statement, but she did not respond in time.
The Garden City Public Schools superintendent said the district is handling this as a personnel matter and can offer no further comment.
