A San Antonio occupational therapist has been arrested on allegations he sexually abused an autistic child patient under his care, court records show.
Lewis Trudell Barber, 56, was arrested Monday and charged with continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14, a first-degree felony. He was booked into the Bexar County jail. Bail was set at $100,000.
If convicted of the charge, Barber faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $10,000 fine.
The alleged abuse came to light on Sept. 24, 2024, when the victim was 12, according to an affidavit supporting Barber’s arrest. During a visit to her pediatrician, she began crying and told the doctor that Barber, her at-home occupational therapist, had been touching her breasts and genitals. The pediatrician reported the abuse to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
At the time, Barber worked for Aveanna Healthcare on the Southwest Side. He had been treating the girl since she was 4 years old.
When a sheriff’s deputy interviewed the girl, she confirmed that Barber had been sexually abusing her during therapy sessions at her house and at her aunt’s house. She said he touched her breasts and genitals and exposed his genitals and made her touch them.
The girl said “she would tell Lewis to stop and that she was scared to speak up,” according to the affidavit.
During a forensic interview with ChildSafe, a nonprofit that provides therapy and crisis intervention in cases of child abuse, the girl said Barber also forced her to perform oral sex.
The National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy suspended Barber’s license in July 2025, according to the board’s records. He had been licensed since 2008.
Four months before his license was suspended, Barber was named Mesa Vista Health Center’s March 2025 employee of the month. In a Facebook post, the nursing home said he was “a great example of customer service and positivity every day to our residents and staff.”