NORTH MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A Miami-Dade occupational therapist was arrested after police said he abused a 5-year-old boy during treatment, leaving the child with injuries that required hospital care.
According to an arrest report, the incident happened on July 16 while the boy was attending his daily therapy session.
Investigators said Leonardo Daniel Rivas, 42, squeezed the child’s cheeks together and repeatedly forced a speech therapy device known as a “Whisper Phone” into the boy’s mouth, covering his mouth several times.
Police said the child became upset, and Rivas then allegedly held the boy down in a chair and forcefully pushed down on his legs.
The child suffered numerous abrasions to both shoulder blades and his chest and was later treated at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.
When detectives contacted Rivas on July 21, he declined to speak without an attorney present, according to the report.
He was later arrested and taken to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
A judge found probable cause and set Rivas’ bond at $2,500.
Copyright 2026 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.