Deputy assaulted in bizarre disturbance at high school

(10/03/06 - KTRK/HOUSTON) (KTRK) -- A high school student, her mother and a third woman were all arrested Tuesday after getting into a fight with a Precinct 6 deputy constable. It happened at Waltrip High School in northwest Houston as the deputy constable was trying to issue a ticket because the student was absent too often.

School officials are calling this an unusual and bizarre incident. Nevertheless, it is one that has caught the attention of some parents.

"I love my baby! It's crazy! It's best to keep them at home, you know, and teach them at home," said mother Rene Goff. "I'm very worried every day, all day."

When Goff picked up her daughter at Waltrip High School, the sight of extra police and news cameras made her more than a little bit nervous. The story begins with a truancy officer's meeting with a student and her family. It was a meeting that quickly spun out of control.

Lt. Antonio Nichols with the Precinct 6 Constable's office explained, "The officer was attempting to write one of the parents a citation for truancy, at which time she refused to sign the ticket. The officer then placed the parent in custody... at which time they escalated into the assault."

Officials say the student attacked the officer and an office worker. Her mother and a family friend quickly joined the fight.

"The juvenile was the one who actually assaulted the officer," said Lt. Nichols. "All three of them actually assaulted him, but the juvenile is the one that actually punched the officer in the left eye."

An HISD officer, who also patrols the campus, helped arrest the teen and both women. News of the altercation weighs heavy on the minds of some students already worried about school violence.

Student Janae Jordan said, "I'm scared. We're all scared. That's why I wait inside the building for the bus to come."

HISD officials say this incident is exactly why they have officers on Houston's campuses.

"You don't normally see something like that happen," said HISD spokesperson Terry Abbott. "Occasionally, we'll get an aggravated or antagonist parent who will come to a school, but most of our parents are good folks who are up there with their kids every day."

But that reassurance does little to quiet one mother's fears.

Goff said, "Well, I'm concerned because there's so much violence in the school, you know. It's just so much going on right now, so you're never safe, not even in the school."

All three suspects have been charged with felony assault of a peace officer. The teen is also going to be charged with another count of assault for allegedly attacking an employee who was working in the school's office.

The officer was transported to Hermann Hospital, suffering from several cuts and bruises she sustained during the attack.
(Copyright © 2006, KTRK-TV)

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