Former Principal Acquitted On Charges Of Punching Student

LAUREL, Md. (AP) — A former Maryland middle school principal accused of punching a student has been acquitted of child abuse and assault charges.

Prince George’s County prosecutors say after hours of deliberation Thursday, a jury found 46-year-old Dwight Jefferson of Fort Washington not guilty of child abuse and second-degree assault.

When Jefferson, who was principal of Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School, was indicted in November, prosecutors alleged that he stopped a student in school and ordered the student to go to a back room. There, prosecutors said, Jefferson punched the youth twice in the stomach, and once in the face.

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