Grand jury indicts former educators over child abuse allegations at Millsap ISD
A grand jury has indicted several former educators over child abuse allegations at Millsap Independent School District.
The indictments come after a video surfaced online and went viral, showing educators allegedly abusing a 10-year-old autistic boy in February. The accusations led to an investigation by the Texas Education Agency and the Parker County Sheriff's Office and a lawsuit filed by three families.
The Parker County District Attorney said the grand jury on Thursday returned Class A misdemeanor indictments for failure to report child abuse by a professional for former Millsap ISD Superintendent Mari "Edie" Martin, Jami Riggs, Jeannie Bottorff, and Shannon Krause.
Riggs, Bottorff, and Krause were paraprofessionals who worked in the Millsap ISD special needs classroom where the abuse allegedly took place.
Defense attorneys Dan Carney and Mark Daniel, who represent Martin, said the former superintendent acted immediately after finding out about the alleged incident.
"While the actions of the two educators depicted on the video are unprofessional and very troubling, this case did not involve any claim of physical injury. It was, however, what Dr. Martin believed to be unprofessional conduct, which she dealt with immediately," a statement from Carney and Daniel reads. "The Grand Jury has correctly ruled that Dr. Edie Martin committed no felony conduct at all. We are obviously disappointed in the decision to charge Dr. Martin with a misdemeanor, alleging to fail to report the matter within 48 hours."
Another Millsap ISD case was presented to the grand jury on Thursday involving paraprofessional Paxton Bean.
This case was not related to the failure to report allegations, though it did come out as a result of publicity on that case. The grand jury indicted Bean for injury to a child.
Alleged abuse caught on camera
The February incident captured on video appears to show teacher Jennifer Dale striking 10-year-old Alex Cornelius, a student with autism. In the same footage, Bean is seen throwing an object at Alex and yelling at him.
"That's the only way I can think of it — traumatizing," said Alex's mother, Carissa Cornelius. "I'm having nightmares. He's having nightmares. Just because I can't trust anybody."
Arrests and resignations
In March, Dale was arrested on a charge of official oppression. Bean and Martin were arrested on felony charges. Elementary school principal Roxie Carter, who is Bean's mother, is not facing criminal charges but is named in the lawsuit. According to an email sent to parents, Carter has resigned as principal effective June 30.
Pattern of abuse alleged
Attorney Wesley Gould, who is representing the families in a lawsuit against the district, Bean, Martin, Carter and Dale, said the abuse extended beyond Alex.
"What makes it so unique is that it didn't stop there," Gould said. "This went all the way up the food chain — to the superintendent, to the principal. The board was aware of it, and you have these people in a position to make changes and stop the abuse, but their hearts and minds weren't there."
The lawsuit alleges that other children were subjected to similar treatment, including being locked in unlit closets for extended periods, physically assaulted, and verbally abused.
Additional cases remain under review
Parker County District Attorney Jeff Swain said the cases on Martin, Riggs, Bottorff, and Krause were transferred to the County Clerk's Office, where they will be randomly assigned to one of two misdemeanor courts.
"It is important to remember that the educators that are alleged to have engaged in abusive behavior, Paxton Bean and Jennifer Dale, also face misdemeanor official oppression charges," a statement from Swain reads. "Those cases are, at present, being reviewed by the County Attorney's Office. To my knowledge, no charging decision has yet been made on those cases."
