A 14-year-old Washington state boy has been charged with attempted assault after he put his belt around his teacher’s neck during class, police and prosecutors say.
The incident unfolded on March 2 at Bethel High School in Spanaway, Wa. between the student and his physical education teacher.
The teacher said that the boy came up behind her, threw his belt around her neck and pulled her back, according to the probable cause affidavit. The teacher grabbed the belt and turned to see the boy standing near her.
She asked the student why he would do that to her and “all he said was sorry,” she told law enforcement, the affidavit stated.
The teacher felt scared and ran to her office and called for help, the affidavit said.
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office was called to the scene. Deputies said when they contacted the teacher, she was “visibly shaken up with red eyes and still crying on and off,” the affidavit said.
The teacher told deputies she didn’t feel her airway was obstructed or breathing was limited in the attack. It is unknown if the teacher suffered any serious injuries.
The student said in a statement to police, “I was being dumb taking my belt and messing with the gym teacher by putting it over her head and pulling it back up.”
Deputies also spoke with one student who reported that before the attack, the student asked him and his friends if he should use the belt on the teacher. Another student reported that the student said, “It was a joke” after the teacher asked why he did it, the affidavit said.
The affidavit said video of the incident was consistent with the teacher’s statement.
The boy was arrested, charged with second degree attempted assault and booked into Remann Hall, the local juvenile facility in the county, Adam Farber with the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s office told NBC News.
He pleaded not guilty and was later released to his parents, Farber said.
The prosecuting attorney’s office said he has not been assigned a lawyer yet.
His pretrial conference is scheduled for March 16.
NBC News has reached out to Bethel High School and the Bethel School District for comment.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
