Colerain teen to serve indeterminate sentence for assaulting teacher

COLERAIN TOWNSHIP, Ohio — The Colerain High School student who assaulted his 60-year-old teacher on Jan. 4 will serve an indeterminate sentence in the Department of Youth Services after appearing in court Friday.

A court judge said the teen would serve a minimum sentence of one year.

“I don't think it's fair. I think he should be detained, definitely until he's 21, because my life has changed. I'll never get back what I had before,” the teacher said after court Friday as she began. cry.

The assault initially occurred on Jan. 4 around 2:15 p.m. Police said school resource officers were alerted that a teacher had been assaulted by a student in a classroom.

Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers said the teacher was punched several times in the head, causing injuries so severe that her skull cap had to be removed “in order to prevent brain damage from a swelling”.

Prosecutors say the teacher required extensive treatment and spent about 25 days in the hospital after the attack.

The teen was charged with felonious assault and was held at the Hamilton County Juvenile Detention Center.

In body camera video of the moments police spoke with the teen, the student told officers he began panicking minutes after vaping in the school bathroom.

However, in court on Feb. 26, toxicology results showed the teen barely had any traceable drugs in his system — only a small amount of THC, Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers said.

Teacher in rehab after assault on student, prosecutor says

“The results are he wouldn’t have even been impaired,” Powers said. “There was some level – a trace amount – of THC metabolite in his blood and urine, but not enough to prevent him from operating a motor vehicle. It was such a small amount.”

If the teen's toxicology results had shown he was unintentionally given something before his alleged attack on a teacher, it's possible that would have changed whether his case would be tried as an adult or juvenile matter.

The teen admitted to the assault during an April 19 hearing to determine whether he would be tried as an adult or a juvenile. Due to the minor's request for admission, he was not tried as an adult.