Nebraska superintendent charged after boy falls in scuffle over cowboy
hat
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[October 25, 2024]
A western Nebraska school superintendent who wanted a student to remove
his cowboy hat is facing a felony charge after the boy fell to the
ground during a scuffle over the hat.
The Maywood School District put Mark Bejot on administrative leave after
he was charged with child abuse Monday over the Oct. 1 incident in the
school's commons area.
Frontier County Sheriff Michael Jordan said that while the
superintendent maintains that the boy inadvertently fell off a stool,
surveillance video appears to show Bejot pulling the boy off the stool
while reaching for the hat. The sheriff learned about the incident after
the boy’s mother called him about it.
Bejot posted $5,000 bond so he could remain free ahead of his next
hearing in November. Court records don't show that he has an attorney
yet.
The version of events Bejot described to Jordan differed from the way
the boy's family described him being thrown to the floor, but Jordan
said he decided to send the case to the Nebraska Attorney General for
review after he saw surveillance video that gave him concerns about the
way the superintendent handled it. Prosecutors there decided to charge
him after reviewing the evidence.
A phone number listed for Bejot in the southwest Nebraska town of about
250 people wasn't working Thursday, and he didn't immediately respond to
emails.
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He told the sheriff the boy initially refused to remove the hat and
then intentionally put it where it would be hard to reach. He said
the boy fell off a stool as Bejot reached for the cowboy hat despite
his efforts to keep him from falling. The boy then threatened to hit
the superintendent and stormed out to call his dad, Bejot said.
Jordan said that in the surveillance video, it appeared that Bejot
leaped for the hat after the boy took it off, and then hooked his
hands under the boy's armpits and pulled him off the stool. Jordan
said the video also showed Bejot pushing the boy's shoulders down
while pulling the hat out of his hands. The boy then got up and
raised his fist at the superintendent before grabbing his phone and
walking outside, Jordan said.
When the sheriff confronted Bejot about the video, he told Jordan,
“I did not hurt that kid," according to the sheriff's affidavit. But
Jordan told him the video looked bad without context.
The Maywood School Board said in a statement that Bejot had been put
on administrative leave, but said board members couldn't discuss
details of the situation because it is a personnel matter. The board
said it remains committed to ensuring a safe environment for all
students.
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