A Hopkins County teacher arrested for allegedly assaulting a child at a Greenville park has been suspended, according to a statement from the school district.
According to an arrest citation from Greenville Police, 41-year-old Matthew McIntosh was arrested on April 22 after an investigation into complaints from witnesses to Parks and Recreation staff the day before about a man abusing a child. Police said that while park employees didn’t see anything at the time, a review of security cameras on the following day by officers and park staff showed McIntosh slamming a young girl onto the bleachers and striking her multiple times.
According to the police report, a few minutes later, authorities said the footage shows McIntosh spanking the minor, aggressively striking the child in the lower back.
Social workers with the Department of Community-Based Services reportedly met with the child and her mother later that day. Investigators confirmed the girl had bruising on her lower back.
McIntosh was taken into custody and charged with fourth-degree assault.
Hopkins County Schools released a statement regarding the off-campus arrest of McIntosh, a Browning Springs Middle School teacher, stating that the District considers all such allegations with the utmost seriousness and took immediate administrative action in accordance with Board policy, including suspension of the involved employee pending the results of the investigation.
School officials said while the district is committed to transparency, state law limits what information they can release during an active inquiry. As this situation involves ongoing investigations by law enforcement and child protection agencies, officials said the District will provide no further comment at this time.
McIntosh is scheduled to appear in Muhlenberg County District Court on Wednesday, May 6, at 9:00 a.m.
