Delaware County teacher charged with battery, accused of assaulting student
DELAWARE COUNTY, Ind. (WISH) – A Delaware County middle school teacher has been charged in connection to an assault of a student.
According to court documents, a 14-year-old student reported to law enforcement that on Feb. 19, 2019, Eric Bowman, a Northside Middle School teacher, assaulted him inside the school’s band room and a hallway.
The 14-year-old said during band class, Bowman became upset with another student for playing the wrong musical notes and who had started to cry. The 14-year-old asked Bowman why he was making the other student play with Bowman responding “you’re the reason I’m heartless,” documents show.
Documents show the 14-year-old and another student then began laughing at Bowman’s response, which seemed to only further enrage Bowman. Bowman then started running at the student, knocking over musical stands and yelling at him to exit the room. Once outside the room, in the hallway, the teacher said he was going to punch the student “in the face.”
However, while exiting the band room, the 14-year-old lost a sandal and attempted to re-enter the band room in order to retrieve it but Bowman used his chest to push the student out of the doorway. The student was eventually able to get back into the room the where he picked up his sandal and as the documents show, Bowman grabbed a music stand and gestured as if he was going to throw it at the student.
Instead of throwing the stand at the student, Bowman threw it at the ground, causing it to bounce and hit another student and a musical instrument in the room at the time. At this time, the 14-year-old student exited the room for a second time.
The student then asked an officer, who was walking down the hall and heard the teacher yelling at the 14-year-old, to escort him to the principal’s office because he feared for his safety. Documents show that as the officer was attempting to walk the student to the office, Bowman continued to yell at the student and at one point even used an arm to push the student against lockers, according to court documents.
At one point, documents show, that the officer had to physically hold Bowman back from getting to the student, threatening to place him under arrest, if he continued acting belligerently.
Having heard the yelling, another teacher exited her classroom and helped to walk the student to the rest of the way to the principal’s office.
Documents state the surveillance footage showed Bowman shoving the student several times up against lockers.
Bowman has been charged two felony battery counts and one count of intimidation.
