POINT PLEASANT, W.Va. (AP) - A Point Pleasant teacher faces a felony child abuse charge stemming from an altercation with a student.
Media outlets report that 52-year-old James E. Jones II also is charged with misdemeanor battery.
According to a criminal complaint, Jones wrestled with a student in a classroom at Point Pleasant Junior/Senior High on Feb. 13. The complaint says he and the student began choking each other and the altercation "got out of control."
Jones remains free on $32,000 bond following his arrest on Monday.
Jones says he tugged at the 16-year-old student's sweatshirt to get him to sit down and the boy grabbed his tie and began to choke him. He says he was trying to protect himself.
Mason County Schools Superintendent Suzanne Dickens declined comment on the charges, citing confidentiality requirements.
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Point Pleasant Teacher Accused of Child Abuse