GREENFIELD — An arrest warrant was issued for a former Greenfield substitute teacher after he failed to appear at his arraignment on Friday on charges of assaulting a third-grader and putting him in a trash can.
Stephen Nestanpower, 71, of 10 Dewey St. in Bernardston, faces three misdemeanor charges of assault and battery stemming from an incident at the Discovery School at Four Corners in February. He was scheduled for arraignment in Greenfield District Court.
According to a police report, Greenfield Detective Richard Brook worked with school social worker Jaclyn Mickiewicz on an investigation after a third-grader’s father reported his son was assaulted on Feb. 22. Mickiewicz briefed Brook on the investigation and reported she interviewed the alleged victim and his classmates separately. The boy told Mickiewicz he was dropping and picking up a pencil on his desk when Nestanpower slapped him in the back of the head. The student said later in the day that Nestanpower hit the boy on top of the head with a book.
The victim told Mickiewicz that Nestanpower later told the students to get their coats and backpacks ready because it was time to go home and then yelled at him, grabbed him by the jacket and placed him in a small trash can.
The Recorder called Nestanpower’s listed residence and a man who identified himself as a friend said Nestanpower was out of town and would return on Sunday.
Attempts to contact Greenfield Public Schools Superintendent Jordana Harper were unsuccessful late Friday. An earlier story reported that on Feb. 25 she sent a letter to parents informing them of “unprofessional and unsafe conduct” by a employee who no longer works for the school department.
You can reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 257. On Twitter, follow @DomenicPoli