VIDEO: Surveillance footage captures alleged abuse of 13-year-old at Virginia psychiatric facility

Video shows 13-year-old dragged by shirt at Virginia psych facility

In video obtained by The Winchester Gazette, surveillance photo appears to show an employee at a psychiatric facility in Virginia dragging a boy by his shirt wrapped around his neck.  A civil lawsuit against the employee and the facility is set to go to trial on Monday. 

WINCHESTER, Va. - A video obtained by the Winchester Gazette appears to show a 13-year-old psychiatric facility resident being dragged across a dorm room by his shirt wrapped around his neck. The footage is expected to play a key part in a trial scheduled to begin on Monday. 

What we know:

Michelle Yates, a former employee of the Grafton School, a psychiatric residential treatment facility, is being sued along with her former employer. 

Yates is accused of dragging a 13-year-old boy across a dorm room at Grafton's facility in Berryville, Virginia. 

Dig deeper:

The civil suit against Grafton and Yates alleges that not only was the 13-year-old resident abused by staff, but that surveillance footage was later erased.

The 13-year-old's parent shared video of the incident with The Winchester Gazette. The video is expected to be part of the evidence presented at trial. 

What is the Grafton School? 

Big picture view:

The Grafton School is a psychiatric residential treatment facility for children with behavioral and mental health needs. Part of the facility's programs are aimed at helping children recover from trauma and succeed in the community. 

"Families place their children in facilities like Grafton expecting their safety to be protected. This case raises serious questions about staff conduct and how the facility responded after the incident," said Gray Broughton, managing partner of Gray Broughton Injury Law, to the Gazette. 

What's next:

The jury trial is set to begin on Monday, February 9 in Winchester Civil Court.