TAYLOR, Neb.— A staff member at Loup County Public schools has been accused of child abuse of a student.
Mary Yarrington, age 63 of Merna, was served a citation on the IIIA felony charge late last month for her to appear in Loup County Court on November 26 at 11 AM.
According to court documents, a Loup County Sheriff’s Deputy went to Loup County Public schools on September 23 after receiving a report of an incident involving a special needs student that had been brought to the attention of school administration by another educator.
The teacher said that during a walk with students, Yarrington stayed behind with the student when the student got tired and stopped to rest. The two returned to the school about five to ten minutes later with Yarrington appearing upset before she stated “Next time he can’t go that far, that is my suggestion.”
Another staff member asked about marks they saw on the child’s neck, which were confirmed to have not been there by the first teacher before the student was alone with Yarrington.
Marks reported as observed to the deputy included purplish-black striping on both earlobes, a purple/red/bluish contusion on the right side of the student’s neck with surrounding ‘fingernail-like’ marks and red blotches, and additional less pronounced fingernail marks on the back of the neck.
Yarrington told school staff that she didn’t know about the marks, but said that the student had been “naughty” and laid on the ground and rolled around on a gravel road, suggesting that that may have caused the marks.
The affidavit closed by saying that Yarrington admitted when meeting with the Loup County Schools principal that she had become frustrated with the student and pinched them on the neck and ears to try to get them to stand and keep walking.
“We take every allegation of abuse seriously, and we are committed to thoroughly investigating this matter.” said Loup County Sheriff Dustin Spanel in a press statement. “We ask to public to avoid speculation as the legal process continues.”
