A circuit judge will decide in June whether Larry “Kite” Johnson will face felony charges for allegedly beating a special-needs student at Quitman County Middle School.
The show-cause hearing comes after the parents of a 10-year-old special-needs student at Quitman County Middle School filed an affidavit in Quitman County Justice Court in early March alleging that Johnson whipped the child repeatedly with a belt on Feb. 19.
According to court documents filed with the Quitman County circuit clerk, Johnson could face two counts of aggravated assault on a vulnerable person for allegedly beating the child twice: once in a classroom at the school and once in an on-campus trailer.
Johnson said Saturday that he hadn’t been informed of the scheduled hearing and declined to comment on the allegations.
Johnson, a former Leflore County supervisor, owns several businesses in the area and is the director of the Greenwood Community and Recreation Center. He is currently campaigning as a Democrat to retake his seat on the Board of Supervisors in District 5.
According to the Quitman County Circuit Clerk’s Office, a show-cause hearing has been scheduled for June 15, but a formal court order had not yet been entered in the case. Quitman County Prosecutor Jimmy Miller could not be reached for comment.
Since Johnson is a teacher, a show-cause hearing before a circuit judge is required before charges can be brought.
The 10-year-old student’s parents went public with the allegations in an interview with Memphis TV station WMC, telling a reporter that Johnson — who was a teacher at the school — had left black and blue bruises on their child’s arms and legs and that the boy had to be taken to the hospital.
Quitman County Middle School Principal Nannette Reed said another teacher at the school witnessed one of the alleged beatings.
“He’s no longer at the middle school,” Reed said in March. “The very first day that it happened, I removed him from the campus immediately, and I also recommended termination of his employment at that time.”
Johnson was in his first year working in the district and had previously been employed by the Leflore County School District. Reed said that Johnson taught science and also served as a “disciplinarian” at the school prior to his termination.
An investigation into the allegations was launched by the Marks Police Department, though Chief Marvin Furr has declined to provide any details about the incident or to answer questions about any possible charges.
Furr did not respond to a public records request filed by the Commonwealth in March seeking incident reports and other documents related to the allegations; a complaint against the department with the Mississippi Ethics Commission — the public body responsible for enforcing the Public Records Act — is still pending.
•Contact Bryn Stole at 581-7235 or bstole@gwcommonwealth.com.
