Lee County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shawn Hines said there wasn’t enough evidence to support the claim made by a TWHS student that Spanish teacher Jack Spiers had assaulted him.
“After reviewing evidence and speaking with the victim and the family, I declined to prosecute the case based on the evidence,” said Hines.
Lee County Sheriff Parsons said in a previous interview that after the student first claimed the incident occurred, his department’s school resource officer, along with school administration, had looked into the matter and didn’t feel the charge was warranted. The family of the alleged victim then obtained a warrant against Spiers issued by the county Magistrate on Sept. 24.
The case went to Lee Co. Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court on Tuesday, according to Hines, but the judge quickly dropped all charges against Spiers when Hines declined to prosecute it.
The incident occurred when a female student in Spiers’ class became upset and told the alleged victim, a male student, in the hallway about something that had happened in the class, according to Hines. The male then walked into Spiers’ classroom and told him “he needed to apologize” to the girl. Hines said the teacher did not know the student. Spiers then told him to go to the office, but it’s at that point the stories given to Hines diverge. The alleged victim claimed Spiers grabbed his arm, according to Hines, while Spiers said he only told the student to go to the office.
Hines said Spiers denied ever placing his hands on the victim, but “even if he did, teachers have the authority to control a situation.” Hines said state law “gives teachers and school administrators leeway in controlling a situation in the school.” He said that despite the conflicting accounts, all parties agreed that arm grabbing was the worst that happened.
Hines said that the incident was “one of those situations that got blown totally out of proportion.”
Staff Writer Stephen Woodward can be contacted at swoodward@middlesborodailynews.com.
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