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Anderson school guard quits, seeks PTI instead of trial
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ANDERSON — A former security guard with Anderson County District 5 schools agreed Thursday to apply for pre-trial intervention in exchange for going to trial for simple assault.
Harry Simpson declined comment Friday other than to say that he resigned when school officials gave him two choices.
According to Anderson police incident report, Simpson, 57, became involved in an altercation with a student about 11:20 a.m. Wednesday at Hanna-Westside Extension Campus on South McDuffie Avenue.
Thursday, Simpson, who was given a courtesy summons by police, appeared in city court, standing a few feet away from the alleged victim and her parents, who expressed concern with an option of pre-trial intervention, which includes counseling and community service in exchange for no criminal record.
“It’s not a good thing for a grown man who hits on a young child to be put on pre-trial intervention,” a program for first-time, non-violent offenders, the teen girl’s father said. “How can he get in (the program) with assault and battery?”
Simpson was charged with assault and battery after the altercation with the 15-year-old girl.
Simpson and the student got into a physical altercation in the bus area where students are dropped off and picked up at the campus site on South McDuffie Street, according to District Five Coordinator of Communications Bill Baker.
Baker said the school district is cooperating with law enforcement as they investigate the incident.
Simpson has worked in the Anderson School District 5 for nine years and he is a retired Air Force veteran.
Simpson was charged with assault and battery after police said he slapped the girl from Hanna-Westside Extension Campus, a vocational school.
Simpson said his actions were done in self-defense.
Anderson School District 5 released a statement on Thursday saying, “Our top priority is the safety of our students. We take any threat or act of violence very seriously, and we are cooperating with law enforcement officials as they investigate this incident.”
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Maybe she did something to deserve being slapped. What did the five fingers say to the face? SLAP
I have always heard that this man was a good person. With the way kids are today who is to say she did not provke him and deserve what she got. I would love to know what is any her punishment is.
I don't know how you can assume that she "deserved" it. Even if she was violating rules or laws, a grown man that's employed as a security guard should be able to:
1) Avoid physical confrontations
2) Restrain a 15 year-old girl without slapping her should it be necessary.
We live in a country where you can't hit people that upset you. If she hit him as well, then she should be charged with assault also. Regardless, he should lose his job.
My guess she is black and he was white.
in response to trashrat76
LOL
What I would like to know is what punishment the girl will encounter. The majority, but not all, of students I've seen are often disrespectful of authority and believe the world owes them something. We have failed our kids by not making them accept personal responsibility. Although I think what he did was wrong, she was not right either...but she will probably be coddled and petted and told it's okay. Lord, help us all.
No matter what color, this is what's wrong with kids today & why they have no respect for any authority figures.
Assuming this was a good man, and a bad kid, she probably did do something to deserve it. BUT, the real problem comes when this kid's parents go screaming to the school about their precious baby being "abused" at school, when they actually should be disciplining her themselves. Kids are scary today & it's their parents' fault.
in response to trashrat76
Your name really fits you Trashrat76.
in response to trashrat76
Your comment is inaccurate and offensive. Shame on you!
Legally NOBODY has the right to place their hands on anyone in anyway but a friendly manner. But I would say it goes back to her parents. Spare the rod spoil the child.
Maybe she should have gotten charged w/ assault on an Officer.
i fully agree with you, tonya61188. I've heard that this man is a good man-- now, he's without a job in an economy that isn't exactly booming with new jobs right now.
I think the most important question here is this:
Why in the world are school districts laying off teachers all over the state while district 5 employs a "Coordinator of Communications". Sounds like someone's buddy needed a job and it was magically created.
I find it very hard to believe that a man with this man's experience would be telling a story here. If the bus driver was complaining about the young "lady's" behavior, then obviously she was already acting out and I believe that the man had to defend himself. Now, please, none of the garbage about the student was a girl. A security guard's job is to make sure the schoolis safe for the teachers and the students. SOunds to me like we had behavior fitting a suspension to me!
A 15 year old is NOT a young child, Dad! try some structure at home.
in response to trashrat76
Actually both are African-American and race has nothing to do with this situtation
the teen girl’s father said. “How can he get in (the program) with assault and battery?” Dad,
assault & battery is a misdemeanor.Therefore, Mr.Simpson should have no problem being accepted.
Your daughter should be charged with disturbing school at the very least.I'm sure she isn't as innocent as you want her to be.
the parents of this child probably never disciplines and i would really love to know the truth behind what she did to deserve it. I'm sure that this man knows from the years he has worked in the school district, the do's and dont's when it comes to these school children. this kid wasn't worth his job but i guess at the moment he had to protect himself. these parents are probably "broke" and $ signs are in their eyes. sit back and watch! a law suit will be filed next! to the parents: get CONTROL of your child and noone else will have to!!!!!!
This happened in the bus loading area so there had to have been witnesses that saw what happened .If the girl had stuck the guard then I'm pretty sure the school would not hesitate to press charges against her. Since the guard is the only one charged then he must have been the only one that got physical.
The girl may have been disruptive but that doesn't justify anyone hitting her in the face,and certainly not a grown man. He's in a position of authority and needs to have more self control than that.
City court is pretty confusing when it comes to assault cases. They consider a man striking a 15 year old girl "simple" assault but simple assault means no physical contact,just words or threats. This man struck the girl so that's assault and battery.
The article says the school gave him 2 choices and he chose to resign. The other choice was most likely termination so evidently after the school investigated and talked to witnesses they determined that he committed a crime.
Hey AIM.....why not give us a better story here. Give details of what happened. What did the girl do? What did the bus driver see? Get out and ask some questions. Don't just tell us they got into a physical altercation and leave it at that. These are high school kids....they'd love to tell you what they saw.
in response to slycin56
Only thing I disagree with is the part about being the parents fault. Not always true. I did alot of stupid things growing up and I don't blame it on my parents. I got my share of hiney beatings and still did stupid stuff.
I DONT KNOW FOR SURE IF IT HAS BEEN REPORTED BUT THE GIRL ASSAULTED THE BUS DRIVER FIRST. SHE HAD SHOVED THE DRIVER INTO THE OVERHEAD MIRROR OVER THE DRIVERS SEAT AND BROKE IT OUT THEN SHE KICKED HIM IN THE BACK ! THE SECURITY GAURD WAS THEN CALLED TO MEET THE BUS AT EXTENSION CAMPUS TO HELP HANDLE THE SITUATION. SHE WAS OUT CONTROL WHEN SHE ARRIVED. HE WAS AT THAT POINT ASSAULTED BY HER HIMSELF. IT WAS SELF DEFENSE !! I AM A DRIVER AND I KNOW THE REAL TRUTH... SEEMS THE WHOLE THING IS NOT BEING TOLD. HE SHOULD BE BACKED BY THE SCHOOL DIST. AS WELL AS THE DRIVER. AS FAR AS I KNOW, THE DRIVER HAS NEVER BEEN ASKED ANYTHING BY THE NEWS OR HAVE THEY EVEN BEEN INFORMED ?
in response to clemson_girl
I have to strongly disagree with that. Courtesy, respect, good manners - these things are supposed to be taught by the parents.
It's very obvious when a child has not been taught these things at home or been disciplined *properly*. "Hiney beatings" doesn't necessarily qualify as proper discipline.
in response to tonya61188
He wasn't a police officer. He was a security guard with an over-inflated sense of authority.
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