An Upper Hanover man was arrested Friday and charged with assaulting a 13-year-old special needs student in Upper Gwynedd Township.

                Terry Lee Stoudt, 67, of the first block of Gravel Pike, was arraigned Friday on a felony charge of unlawful restraint, along with misdemeanor counts of simple assault, neglect of a care dependent person, endangering the welfare of children and recklessly endangering another person.  He was also charged with harassment.

                According to the criminal complaint in the case, around 3:30 p.m. Friday, Stoudt, working for an unidentified transportation company, was driving the teen home from a Norristown school when a verbal altercation between the two erupted and the teen ran from the van.

                Police said the teen, who is diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, bipolar disorder, oppositional defiance disorder and attention deficit disorder, ran from the van onto a property at Brittany Pointe Estates located in the 1000 block of Valley Forge Road. 

                Court documents state a witness saw Stoudt chase the boy and grab him by the coat, pulling him to the ground.  The witness, identified as a security guard for Brittany Pointe Estates, told police he then saw Stoudt lean over the boy, while he held him down by his jacket, and punch him in the chest with a closed fist.

                The security guard told police the student had his arms up, trying to protect himself, and was trying to get into the fetal position, according to court documents.  Authorities said the security guard yelled for Stoudt to stop and then pulled the boy away from the driver, who was yelling that the boy was "his responsibility," court records reflect.

                Police said a second security guard at the same location said she witnessed the student being chased onto the property and also reported seeing Stoudt punching the student and "hear[ing] the sound of Stoudt's fist hitting [the boy's] chest."

                According to the complaint, the boy complained of chest pain and was checked out by area EMS.  He was later transported to Lansdale Hospital by his father, police said, where he was diagnosed with abrasions to his armpit, abdomen and chest, as well as multiple contusions.  

                Multiple phone calls to Stoudt's home were unanswered Wednesday.

                He was arraigned by District Judge James P. Gallagher of Bridgeport District Court, who set bail at $50,000 unsecured.  Stoudt was released pending a preliminary hearing scheduled for March 11 at 10 a.m. in front of Judge Robert M. Sobek in Blue Bell.

                Court records show Stoudt has requested a public defender for the case.