Charges against William Blount High School teacher dismissed
By Mark Boxley and Matthew Stewartof The Daily Times Staff
Originally published: October 29. 2009 3:01AM
Last modified: October 29. 2009 1:08AM
Charges of aggravated assault and possession of a weapon on school property filed against a William Blount High School teacher who was allegedly involved in a road rage incident near the school were dismissed Wednesday.
Harold Gene Huffstetler, 51, Willa Way, Maryville ¬-- who teaches construction core and carpentry I and II, according to the school's Web site -- had been arrested on the charges after an Oct. 5 incident that reportedly culminated with a pistol being drawn by the teacher on what was originally reported to be school property.
But where school property begins and a county-owned road ends became the issue Wednesday in General Sessions Court where Judge Robert Headrick ruled that there was not enough probable cause to take the charges to a grand jury.
According to information from the Blount County District Attorney's Office, after testimony during a preliminary hearing Wednesday, Headrick found it had not been adequately proven that Huffstetler was actually on school property when the incident took place; nor was there enough probable cause to take the aggravated assault charge to a grand jury.
No information was available from authorities as to why Huffstetler was so near William Blount High School that day, or if he planned to enter the school's campus before the incident.
According to Dr. Jane Morton, complaint manager for Blount County Schools, while the criminal case was settled Wednesday, her investigation into the incident was not complete.
Morton said she wanted the investigation to be thorough and fair and that it would be completed soon. According to information from Blount County Schools at the time of the original incident, Huffstetler was been suspended from his teaching duties pending the outcome of the investigation.
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