A North Colonie teacher's aide has been arrested by Colonie Police for having inappropriate conduct with a 5-year-old special needs student.

According to Colonie Police, 23-year-old Ryan Pellerin of Guilderland is charged with sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a vulnerable person. Officers were contacted by North Colonie School District officials Tuesday after staff at Southgate School saw an inappropriate interaction between Pellerin and the student on the playground.

Police say the victim is non-verbal, so he would be unable to report any alleged abuse. Lt. Robert Winn of Colonie Police says the staff has noticed something off with the aide's interaction with that student.

"They actually had seen some behavior between him and this student over the past few weeks that had troubled them, but they couldn't put their finger on it,” said Winn.

The school district's superintendent, Joseph Corr, says Pellerin was recently hired at the beginning of the school year. He says he passed all the New York State Education Board background checks.  

"The employee resigned the morning of Wednesday, October 24 and has been prohibited from all school premises," read a statement on the North Colonie Central Schools website. "Here in North Colonie, safety is paramount, and we will continue to take all appropriate actions to maintain a safe and secure learning environment for all of our students."

The school says it notified parents with children who may have interacted with Perllerin. Corr says that the staff is shaken by these allegations.

"We are all heartbroken by these allegations. Each and every person in this school district is dedicated to the safety and well-being of our children,” said Corr.

Perellin's attorney, Martin Boneventre of Kindlon Law Firm, maintains his client's innocence. He told Spectrum News in a statement,

"We understand these are very serious charges, but my client is innocent. We want to know where this story came from and why it happened. We look forward to the investigation and clearing him of these charges."

The investigation is ongoing and police say more charges may be filed. They believe there may be other victims, and they are asking anyone with information to contact them.