Boy charged with assault at Northside High School

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - A male student was charged with assault inflicting serious injury after pushing a female during a change of classes on Friday.

The attack split the girl’s ear and she had to receive medical attention and several stitches.

Stephanie Strong is the mother of the girl who was attacked and she says she feels more should be done to punish the attacker.

“I asked her at the hospital, ‘why did he do it?’ She says ‘I don’t know. I went to the bathroom and came back. The teacher was crying.’ Class is over, he follows my daughter, grabs her from behind and just beats her head into the wall.” said Strong.

“The point is it’s more than an assault. It was premeditated.”

The mother of the attacker who asked to remain anonymous confirmed that her son’s actions were thought out beforehand saying, “He asked his friends how long he would get in trouble for starting a fight.”

She went along with her son’s side of the story.

“After a class, my son ran out and shoved the girl and she fell into a window. But before that, my son was telling me that the classroom had the teacher get very very upset and start crying because the girl was being very unbehaved in class,” she said.

In a written statement concerning the alleged assault, Onslow County Schools said:

“The situation you have asked about involved a fight between two students during a class change at Northside High School. The incident was over very quickly – a teacher was immediately on the scene and the SRO was there moments later. The two students involved were escorted to the office, administration conducted their investigation, and disciplinary action was taken. Unlike the situation at Swansboro Middle School where the consequence given is required by state law, we will not comment on individual student discipline, except to say that consequences were administered in accordance with the school’s established discipline procedures. Criminal charges for any illegal activity on a school campus are initiated by law enforcement, not school officials.”

Both parents say they have made several attempts to contact the high school to receive more detailed answers concerning the attack.

Jacksonville police have declined comment and say their investigation is ongoing.

The boy charged with assault has been suspended from the high school for 10 days and will go to juvenile court for his assault charges.

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