Teacher charged for student's injury
A former special education teacher at Cloverdale Middle School is expected to appear in court, possibly as early as Friday morning, to face a felony charge of battery for allegedly breaking a student's hand during an altercation in the classroom.
Scott W. Porter, 31, Cloverdale, was charged Thursday with one county of battery resulting in bodily injuring, a class D felony, on behalf of 15-year-old special education student Jordan Mundy.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed Thursday by Putnam County Prosecutor's Investigator Charles Bollinger, Porter pulled Mundy's finger during an altercation in the classroom on Jan. 11, resulting in the finger breaking.
A medical specialist in Indianapolis, who examined the student's hand, told Investigator Bollinger Thursday that the finger was in fact fractured and could require surgery.
Bollinger told the BannerGraphic Thurs-day that he is still waiting to receive the full report from the doctor and that depending on the full extent of the injuries, additional charges could be filed against the teacher.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the student said he was making fun of the teacher and that when he tried to run out of the classroom, the teacher grabbed him by the shirt and shoved him up against the chalkboard.
The boy also alleges the teacher put him in a headlock and wrestled him to the floor where he then struck the boy in the ribs several times. The boy says he grabbed Porter by the neck and that Porter responded by grabbing his index finger and hyper-extending it backwards, causing it to break.
During an interview with Bollinger, Porter denied touching the student's finger or shoving him up against the blackboard. He also denied telling the boy not to go to the nurse's office as was alleged by the boy's mother Michelle Britton when she spoke to the BannerGraphic Wednesday.
Britton has hired an attorney and said Thursday that she plans to sue Porter.
Porter resigned after the allegations surfaced. He did not return phone calls Thursday seeking comment.