Football coach charged with assaulting student, 15
Pasadena’s city prosecutor has filed a misdemeanor battery charge against John Muir High School football Coach Ken Howard for his role in a Sept. 28 scuffle with a 15-year-old student.
Howard will be arraigned Dec. 1 for “battery on a school ground,” City Prosecutor Connie Orozco stated in an email Wednesday.
A battery committed on school property is punishable by up to one year in jail and fines not exceeding $2,000, according to state law.
Attorney Joe Hopkins, who represents Howard, told the Pasadena Sun the student struck at Howard before the coach attempted to restrain him during a search for weapons.
“I haven’t seen the charge in writing, but if it looks like a case that needs to go to trial, then we’ll let a jury decide,” Hopkins said.
Prosecutors are still reviewing the incident to determine if the juvenile should face charges, according to Pasadena Police Lt. Tracey Ibarra.
In a previous interview with the Sun, the boy said Howard grabbed him by the neck, dragged him into a hallway and slammed him against lockers after a heated verbal exchange.
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