Cheyenne teacher charged with unlawful contact for altercation with student

CHEYENNE — Nearly a month after an alleged physical altercation with a female student, a McCormick Junior High School teacher has been charged in Laramie County Circuit Court with unlawful contact. The count against John D. Scott, 35, is a misdemeanor alleging he touched another person in a rude, insolent, or angry manner, according to charging documents filed Thursday by the Laramie County District Attorney’s Office.

An affidavit of probable cause outlines the events leading up to and during the March 4 altercation, which ended with Scott caught on video on his knees begging the girl and repeatedly saying, “I did something very wrong.” Another teacher who witnessed the confrontation intervened at one point to separate Scott from the student, but Scott returned to engage with her again. As the girl yelled at Scott, the other teacher intervened and had Scott go with him to a grassy area, but Scott came back over to her and asked for her name, which she refused to give him.

A 90-second video taken by another student shows the incident after the alleged physical contact. “I’m bleeding because of you,” the student is heard saying. Scott responds, “Can I please have your name?” The girl refuses, saying, “Look what you did!” Scott then gets down on his knees on the sidewalk in front of the student, saying, “I’m on my knees right now. Come here, please.” The affidavit says the school’s principal came out and took the girl away from the area.

The events began after school when Scott walked over to a group of students and told them to move off the road. After they moved, Scott again told them to get on the sidewalk. When the female student told him they weren’t on the road, Scott identified her as the one who spoke and allegedly got his face close to hers and started yelling. The student said she tried to walk away, telling Scott her mother was there to pick her up, but Scott began walking faster to catch up with her.

When he caught up, the girl said Scott grabbed her by her hair, shoulder, necklace, and backpack strap and tried to spin her around. She said he caused scratch marks on her shoulder and neck area and broke her necklace. She started yelling at Scott, and another teacher intervened, but Scott returned and got on his knees. Video from two school surveillance cameras confirmed Scott was on his knees for 1 minute and 49 seconds in front of the girl.

The Cheyenne Police Department forwarded its affidavit to the District Attorney’s Office on March 10 concluding there was probable cause for a battery charge. After reviewing the case, the DA’s office filed the unlawful contact charge Thursday, which is punishable by up to six months in jail, a $750 fine, or both.