Teacher Arrested For Slapping A 9-Year-Old Student
San Antonio, TX – Karl Nicholas, a 63-year-old elementary teacher in the San Antonio Independent School District, was arrested and charged on Thursday with knowingly causing injury to a child, a third-degree felony.
According to the arrest warrant, Nicholas allegedly stuck the girl around 1:45pm Monday.
Nicholas, who has been put on administrative leave from Stewart Elementary School pending the results of the criminal investigation, admitted to the principal, after other students were interviewed, that he slapped a disruptive 9-year-old student in his third-grade class.
According to My San Antonio, Nicholas refused to elaborate further about the incident, simply saying he planned to resign because he knew he was going to jail.
Statements from the school showed Nicholas had called the main office of the school, requesting the girl be removed from his class as she had assaulted him and was behaving in a disorderly manner.
The young victim explained to authorities that she and another student sitting next to her got into a verbal exchange, telling one another to “shut up.” When Nicholas approached the two he told the girl to leave the other student alone. She tried to elaborate on who started the squabble.
The girl then dropped a pencil and when she retrieved it from the floor she accidentally struck Nicholas on the hand. She tried to apologize.
Nicholas countered by slapping her in the face and grabbing her by the arm. He tried to drag her out of the classroom and told a passing counselor the child was being unruly. He asked the counselor to take the child to the office.
The girl’s mother contacted authorities to report the incident.
Nicholas managed to post his $10,000 bail and was released Friday morning.
Per the Texas state penal code, statute 12.34, a third degree felony is a serious criminal charge that includes crimes such as third offense DWI’s, intoxication assault, aggravated perjury, and bail jumping on a felony arrest.
If convicted on a third degree felony, the offender can be sentenced from two to 10 years in jail and face a fine up to $10,000.
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