LEESBURG, Ga. (WALB) - One woman is being called a hero by many in Lee County after she reported what she describes as “abuse of a nonverbal autistic child” at a restaurant. Witnesses are now saying that they are proud of the waitress for seeing something and saying something.

The staff at Riverfront BBQ is standing by their sign: “Great food, great people, great service.” Because that’s exactly what happened when one waitress stood up for a child who could not speak.

“I’ve always had a special place in my heart for them, and seeing that was just not acceptable for me. So I advocated for him and called the police so something could be done,” says Hannah Jones, the server who called deputies at Riverfront BBQ.

Hannah Jones was on duty recently at Riverfront BBQ when a nonverbal autistic boy and an adult came in to eat. Witnesses say that soon the little boy started to act out, and the adult became aggressive.

“He was having a little episode, and she couldn’t get him to calm down, and it happens, it’s understandable,” Jones says.

“I noticed that a handful of hair was being grabbed. He was being forcibly removed by his head. She was dumping out hair from her hands, and she was slapping him in the face a couple of times, and it wasn’t being handled right,” says Joshua Cothran, a witness and server at Riverfront.

That’s when Jones and Cothran say they decided to call the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

“I could only imagine what that nonverbal child was going through at home behind closed doors, and I’m a mother myself, and I feel like something needed to be done because I wouldn’t want that to happen to my child,” Jones said.

That’s why Hannah’s coworkers are now calling her a hero for standing up for someone who could not advocate for himself. Miranda Calisto says she is a survivor of abuse, and says she’s proud Hannah took action.

“There are a lot of things that people go through in life, and they can’t speak for themselves. So, I feel like it’s good to have a Good Samaritan or someone in the public who can step up for that person. She is like my hero. It does mean a lot,” says Miranda Calisto, a server at Riverfront and an abuse survivor.

The staff at Riverfront says they want the public to know that anytime a person comes to their restaurant, they will be taken care of like family, and the team will look out for you. If you or anyone you know is suffering from abuse, please call 800.799.SAFE (7233) or 911 if you believe you are in immediate danger.

Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? Let us know. Please include the article’s headline in your message.

To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WALB on Facebook and X (Twitter). For more South Georgia news, download the WALB News app from the Apple Store or Google Play.

Copyright 2025 WALB. All rights reserved.