On March 23, 2026, New York State Police at Rhinebeck responded to the Anderson Center for Autism, located in the Town of Hyde Park, following a report of an incident involving a staff member and a student.
An investigation conducted by uniform members and the Bureau of Criminal Investigation at Rhinebeck determined that a staff member, identified as Melinda A. Dorn, 32, of Pine Plains, New York, flipped a couch on which a resident was lying, causing the resident to fall to the ground. The resident then repositioned the couch and lay back down. Dorn then flipped the couch again, causing the resident to fall to the floor a second time.
As a result of the investigation, Dorn was arrested on March 30, 2026, and charged with Endangering the Welfare of an Incompetent or Physically Disabled Person 2nd, a class A misdemeanor.
Dorn was issued an appearance ticket returnable to the Town of Hyde Park Court on April 14, 2026, at 8:30 a.m.