The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department says that a guy who works as a teacher at a school near Columbia was arrested this year for assaulting two students.
The sheriff’s office said in a news statement on Wednesday that 51-year-old Jermaine Cornelius Singletary was charged with two counts of third-degree assault and battery.
The sheriff’s office said that Singletary is a teacher at Irmo Middle School. This school is on Wesctott Road, close to where it meets St. Andrews Road. It is in the Columbia area, between Harbison Boulevard and Lake Murray Boulevard.
Singletary’s name is on the school’s website’s list of teachers, but a link to his bio takes you to a page with a mistake.
“An employee of School District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties has been arrested,” L-R 5 officials told The State when asked about Singletary. “We are fully helping the police with their investigation, and the worker is on administrative leave.”
According to a release from the sheriff’s office, the attacks happened between two students over several months this year.
Police say Singletary hit a student in March because he thought the student had touched his head. According to the release, the teacher hit another student in October after that student found part of the homework that Singletary had thrown away.
No information was known about the students’ health or whether they needed any medical care.
The sheriff’s office said Singletary did not tell school officials about either event.
When the police learned about these two incidents, they began an investigation and found that Singletary had allegedly abused two students on two different occasions, Sheriff Jay Koon said in the release.
He turned himself in on Wednesday morning and was taken to the Lexington County Detention Center, according to the sheriff’s office. Jail records show that Singletary is still in jail and no bond has been set.
The person from Columbia is due back in court on Nov. 19 after a bond hearing, according to reports from Lexington County.
The most Singletary could get for the misdemeanor attack and battery charges is 30 days in jail and a $500 fine for each count, according to South Carolina law.
No one knew what type of trouble Singletary would be in with L-R 5 or if he would lose his teaching license if he was found guilty.
Source: Teacher arrested for assaulting two students at Lexington County school, SC sheriff says
