Investigators say Chidester acknowledged the incident in a written statement. Photo: Utah County Sheriff's Office
EAGLE MOUNTAIN — The Utah County Sheriff’s Office says a P.E. teacher at Rockwell Charter High School is facing child abuse charges after a disagreement turned physical with a 14-year-old student. The incident appeared to have been caught on surveillance tape by the school.
In a release, the sheriff’s office said Anthony Chidester, 40, of Cedar Hills, is accused of putting his hands on the student around his neck and shoulders, then pushing him against the wall, after the student failed to follow instructions. Investigators say Chidester is also accused of throwing the student to the floor and holding him there.
The student involved suffered minor injuries to his neck and shoulder.
According to the release, once school administrators learned about the altercation, they told Chidester to leave the school. School officials have since confirmed to KSL TV that Chidester was fired.
A deputy met Chidester at his home, where he provided a written statement that the sheriff’s office says acknowledged what happened and was issued a citation for one count of class A misdemeanor child abuse.