Two Horry County school employees were arrested within 24 hours of each other - both of them charged with cruelty to children.

Both children involved in the assaults are reported to be autistic.

Gabriel Hernandez, a special education teacher at St. James Intermediate, was arrested Friday morning by U.S. Marshals. He’s still in jail as of noon Friday, online booking records show.

Georgia Branch, 68, of Myrtle Beach, was arrested Thursday, according to a Myrtle Beach Police report. The teacher’s aide is accused of assaulting a child, according to reports.

Hernandez was placed on administrative leave with pay March 20 due to the alleged incident and will remain on leave until further notice, according to HCS spokeswoman Lisa Bourcier.

Branch has been on administrative leave with pay since March 27 due to the alleged incident and will remain on leave until further notice, Bourcier said in a statement.

Horry County Police were called to St. James Intermediate March 17 for a reported assault that occurred March 16, according to an incident report.

The mother, Nicole Perez, told The Sun News that she received a call March 16 from the St. James Intermediate principal, who told her that Hernandez reportedly pinned her 10-year-old son down and sat on his legs. Hernandez had claimed he was trying to prevent the boy, who has autism, from banging his head against a wall.

Myrtle Beach Police were notified March 24 by administration at Myrtle Beach Elementary that a possible assault had taken place at the school on Seahawk Way between Branch and the victim, according to a police report.

Police reportedly reviewed a video that showed where the alleged assault took place.