Williamsburg police charged a nine-year old fourth grader with assault Thursday afternoon for biting, kicking and hitting a teacher.
Williamsburg Police Chief Wayne Bird said officers were called to the Williamsburg Independent School about noon Thursday over an out of control juvenile, who had assaulted a teacher.
When officers arrived, school officials had taken the juvenile outside.
“He was still pretty irate,” Bird said. “Come to find out, the teacher had asked him to do something in the classroom and he didn’t want to do it and got pretty violent with the teacher.
“He ended up biting the teacher in the hand. It was a pretty bad bite. It brought blood.”
The juvenile also allegedly kicked the teacher a couple of times and punched her numerous times in the head, Bird said.
“It was my understanding that it took several teachers to subdue him, and a couple of other teachers got assaulted in the process,” Bird said. “They got him outside and contacted us.”
Officer Susan Petty was the first officer to arrive at the scene, and took the juvenile into custody.
Bird later charged the juvenile with third-degree assault of a teacher.
He said that a child that young can’t be detained for long periods and was released to the custody of his mother.
“It is my understanding that the child has behavioral problems, and sees a medical professional for those behavioral problems,” Bird said. “It is the first time that I have ever had to charge a child that young.
“If it had been something simple, then charges probably wouldn’t have even been filed. The assault of the teacher was pretty serious. We didn’t feel like we had much choice but to charge him.”
Williamsburg Superintendent Denny Byrd said the teacher involved, Betty Redden, was back to work the next day.
Immediately after the incident she was taken to the school nurse, and just happened to have an appointment scheduled with her family doctor later that afternoon, he said.
Byrd said that he wasn’t familiar with the child.
“As far as I know, he is not back at the school,” Byrd said.
Social services and the court-designated worker were also contacted.
Officials are prohibited by law from releasing the names of juveniles charged with a crime.
