Lexington County EMS employee charged with hitting child he was transporting

An EMS employee in Lexington County is charged with assault and battery after, deputies say, he slapped a child he was trying to restrain for transport.

Scott Anthony Ludwig, 44, is charged with third-degree assault and battery, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department said Tuesday morning.

The incident happened Friday at New Bridge Academy in West Columbia, according to the sheriff’s department. Ludwig was trying to restrain a 7-year-old student when he hit the student in the face with his open right hand, the warrant said.

The student was being transported for behavioral issues, according to investigators.

The student was trying to bite Ludwig’s arm before Ludwig hit the boy, according to the warrant. Detectives say Ludwig told them he hit the student as a reaction to being bitten.

Third-degree assault and battery is a misdemeanor that carries a maximum of 30 days in jail, under South Carolina law.

Ludwig turned himself in Monday afternoon and was placed in the Lexington County Detention Center, where he will have a bond hearing Tuesday.

This story was originally published March 5, 2019 at 8:05 AM.