Nebraska superintendent acquitted of child abuse in fight over cowboy hat
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A school superintendent in western Nebraska was acquitted of child abuse this week.
On Tuesday, a jury found Maywood Public Schools Superintendent Mark Bejot not guilty of intentional child abuse with no injury and false reporting.
Jurors deliberated for just over an hour.
SEE ALSO: Nebraska superintendent arrested after fight with student over cowboy hat
The charges against Bejot, 65, stemmed from a fight with a 12-year-old student over a cowboy hat.
On Oct. 1, the superintendent told the boy to remove the hat because wearing it was against school policy, according to the Frontier County Sheriff’s Office.
After the student took off the hat, court documents say he and Bejot struggled over it.
Authorities alleged that the superintendent grabbed the student by the armpits and pulled him off the stool, but Bejot said he grabbed him to try to stop him from falling.
