CHEYENNE — The McCormick Junior High School math teacher who was seen on video on his knees begging a female student while claiming he “did something very wrong” has been sentenced to a year of unsupervised probation.
John D. Scott entered a deferred plea of guilty to the single misdemeanor charge of unlawful contact in a deal with prosecutors, vacating a scheduled Aug. 11 trial, according to court records.
The deferred plea means that if he successfully completes his probation, the charge will be removed from his record.
Scott was charged with the misdemeanor nearly a month after a March 4 altercation he had with a female student outside the school, part of which was recorded on video by another student.
Scott reportedly had physical contact with the girl when she wasn’t cooperative with his directions, scratching her.
The incident ended with Scott on his knees begging the girl, saying repeatedly that “I did something very wrong” and asking for her name so he could report himself to school officials.
He initially pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Laramie County School District 1 confirmed to Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday at Scott "is no longer employed at LCSD1," and that the district has no other comment on the incident.
What Police Found
An affidavit of probable cause filed in his court case offered other details after the Cheyenne Police Department investigated the incident.
Another teacher in front of the school that afternoon who witnessed the confrontation intervened at one point to separate Scott from the student and others in the area, but Scott returned to engage with her again, the affidavit says.
“As (the student) yelled at Scott, another teacher … intervened and had Scott go with him to the grassy area,” according to the affidavit written by Cheyenne Police Officer Micah Veniegas.
“Scott came back over to her and asked for her name, which she refused to give him,” the affidavit says.
That also seems to support the 90-second video another student took that shows the aftermath of the incident after the alleged physical contact, in which Scott tells the girl he needs her name so he can report himself to school officials.
“I’m bleeding because of you,” the student is heard saying on the video, which swings around to show the teacher.
“Can I please have your name,” the teacher asks the girl.
“No!” she says. “Look what you did!”
“I know. Can I please, can I please … no, so listen,” the man continues as he gets down on his knees on the sidewalk in front of the student.
“I’m on my knees right now. Come here, please,” he says, gesturing with his hands for her to get closer.
The affidavit says that Scott stood back up, and the school’s principal came out and took the girl away from the area in front of the school.
What The Girl Said
In her interview with police, the girl described Scott becoming angry when he thought she wasn’t complying with his directions.
The girl said that “she was outside after school on the bus side (east side) of the school standing by the science doors,” Veniegas wrote. “She was standing with a group of students when Scott walked over to them.
“Scott told the group of students … that they needed to move off the road.”
She said they did, but she heard Scott again tell them to get on the sidewalk and off the road.
That’s when the female student addressed the teacher, telling him they weren’t on the road, “but Scott did not know who told him that.”
When he identified the teen as the one who spoke to him, she said he “got his face close to her and started yelling, saying something to the effect of ‘why would you say that?’” the affidavit says.
The student said she didn’t feel comfortable in the situation and tried to walk away from Scott.
“She told Scott that her mother was there to pick her up, which she was not. She only wanted to get away from Scott,” the document adds. “She stated Scott began walking faster to catch up with her, which caused her to walk faster to get away from him.”
When the teacher caught up with the girl, she said he “grabbed her by her hair, shoulder, necklace, and backpack strap on her right side … (and) tried to spin her around,” the affidavit says.
The girl said she remembered he had a tight grip on her, but she was able to get away, but that “he caused scratch marks on her shoulder, neck area, and broke her necklace,” it adds.
“She started yelling, ‘Don’t f***ing touch me’ and ‘don’t touch me’ at Scott,” Veniegas wrote.
Video from two McCormick Junior High School surveillance cameras also shows the confrontation, confirming Scott was on his knees for 1 minute and 49 seconds in front of the girl, according to the affidavit.
If he violates his probation, Scott risks a judge enforcing up to the maximum sentence for his charge, which is six months in jail, a fine of $750 or both.
Messages left to a number listed for Scott weren’t returned by publication.
Parents were later told that Scott was taken out of the classroom after the altercation for the rest of the school term.
Greg Johnson can be reached at greg@cowboystatedaily.com.
