LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. — A Lexington County teacher has been charged with assault following an incident that allegedly happened at a local middle school.
According to the Lexington County Sheriff's Department, 58-year-old Brenda Dean Inabinette has been charged with third-degree assault and battery.
Sheriff Jay Koon said in a statement that the arrest came after a student approached an assistant principal at White Knoll Middle School alleging that he was assaulted when he came back from the bathroom to the wrong classroom.
Citing the warrant, a Lexington County Sheriff's Department spokesperson said the student had claimed that Inabinette grabbed his identification lanyard, which was around his neck, and said, "You make me want to strangle you."
In the warrant, the assistant principal is said to have described the student as "physically and emotionally shaken."
Inabinette turned herself in at the Lexington County Sheriff's Department on Tuesday and is now being held at the county jail.
Lexington School District One has since released a statement adding that Inabinette, who it identifies as teacher Brenda Inabinette Bloome, was placed on administrative leave on Thursday following the incident.
"The safety of our students is our top priority," the district said in its statement. "The school is cooperating fully with law enforcement on this investigation.
According to the White Knoll Middle School website, Inabinette is currently an English Language Arts (ELA) teacher and has been teaching for just shy of 30 years. The site said Innabinette is entering her third year at White Knoll Middle School.
