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A Westside Elementary School teacher was arrested Thursday evening, the Baker County Sheriff’s Office said.
BAKER COUNTY, Fla. — A Baker County physical education teacher was arrested Thursday night after he was accused of taping a female student to a chair during the school day, according to Baker County Sheriff’s Office.
The arrest report said Kristopher Waite, 50, is charged with one count of child cruelty without great bodily harm.
The report said the tape was “restricting her movement and causing her to fear that he would not set her free.”
The victim said at approximately 2:30 p.m. Thursday, she entered the classroom and began playing with a roll of tape from Waite’s desk, according to the report. She said Waite told her to stop playing with the tape. He took the tape from her and “began to wrap it around her waist and the chair,” according to the report. She could not break the tape and struggled with it for approximately 30 seconds, she told deputies.
“Another classmate had to cut the tape with the sharp part of a tape dispenser to free her from the chair,” the report said.
The report said Waite told deputies he taped the student “jokingly” and that he did not think it was a “big deal.” Waite stated that the victim and other classmates were laughing during the incident, according to the report.
No injuries were observed by deputies, the report said.
On Friday, Baker County School District Superintendent Wyatt Milton said a teacher was arrested after an “alleged incident that occurred during the school day involving a student under his care.”
Milton said after the school administration was notified staff took “immediate action” and the family was contacted. The district will conduct its own investigation in addition to the sheriff’s office, Milton said.
“Our district is filled with wonderful teachers and staff who work hard daily to ensure that children are safe and are being afforded the best education possible,” Milton said. “As always, the safety and welfare of our students continues to be our top priority.”