Texas Teacher Arrested for Allegedly Choking Students
A teacher from a Texas primary school has been arrested after being accused of choking two students in a hallway incident. The teacher, Gale Patterson, 61, was taken into custody on September 15 following an investigation by the Benbrook Police Department. He was later released from custody.
Patterson faces two charges of injury to a child and was employed as a teacher at West Park Elementary School in Benbrook. The Fort Worth Independent School District confirmed that Patterson was placed on administrative leave in August and has since left the district due to an incident involving a student.
According to the police, the alleged incidents occurred on August 20 during school hours, involving two fourth-grade students. One of the victims’ mothers shared that her 9-year-old daughter called her, crying, and described how the teacher was “suffocating her.” The arrest affidavit states that Patterson removed the two girls from class after they were caught talking.
The mother indicated she was shown surveillance footage that captured the episode. She recounted, “Within two seconds, he grabs the first student by her neck, then takes my daughter and holds both against the wall for about 11 seconds while shouting at them.”
Despite the severity of the situation, the mother, referred to as Catie, reported feeling frustrated that school officials hadn’t informed her about the incident, even after her daughter had spoken to three different teachers about it. Catie expressed her disillusionment, stating, “I was so upset. We trusted the school to care for our kids, and yet something like this happened.”
Catie’s lawyer, Ty Stimpson, emphasized that there’s a significant breach of trust when a teacher behaves in such a manner. He highlighted the expectation that children should be safe and cared for while at school. He mentioned that the legal process can be complicated, but they are determined to hold the school district accountable.
Stimpson is pursuing formal complaints with the Fort Worth ISD and is advocating for comprehensive staff training and safeguards to prevent future incidents. The district is required to respond formally to the complaints by next week.
When approached for comment, Patterson reportedly walked away without addressing the allegations. As of now, the Benbrook police haven’t provided additional information regarding the arrest.
Patterson was previously listed on the Westpark PTA website as a special education inclusion teacher but has since had her name removed.
