Teacher at Lexington County school charged with assaulting student, deputies say
A teacher at a Midlands school was arrested and charged with assaulting a student, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department said Tuesday.
Brenda Dean Inabinette, 58, was charged with third-degree assault and battery, the sheriff’s department said in a news release.
Inabinette is a teacher at White Knoll Middle School, according to the release. The Lexington District 1 school in West Columbia is between the Red Bank and Springdale areas.
“The student in this case reached out to an assistant principal at White Knoll Middle School to share what happened between him and Inabinette last Thursday,” Lexington County Sheriff Koon said in the release. “The student said he accidentally went back to the wrong classroom after a trip to the restroom and that prompted the encounter with Inabinette.”
An arrest warrant said Inabinette grabbed the student’s ID lanyard while it was around his neck and said, “You make me want to strangle you,” according to the sheriff’s department.
The assistant principal described the student as “physically and emotionally shaken,” according to the warrant.
Inabinette turned herself in at the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department headquarters Tuesday morning, according to the release. She is being held in the Lexington County Detention Center, and no bond has been set, jail records show.
Lexington 1 placed Inabinette on administrative leave following the incident last Thursday, school district spokeswoman Kathryn McPhail said in a release.
“The safety of our students is our top priority,” McPhail said. “The school is cooperating fully with law enforcement on this investigation.”
If convicted on the misdemeanor charge, Inabinette faces a maximum punishment of 30 days in jail and a $500 fine, according to South Carolina law.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
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This story was originally published August 30, 2022 at 12:17 PM.
