An Arkansas school director and three others have been arrested after authorities say a “makeshift child fight club” operated at a private school.
Mary Tracy Morrison, 50, owner and director of The Delat Institute for the Developing Brain and the Engage program, was arrested Monday, along with Michael Bean, 38, Kristin Bell, 36, and Kathrine Lipscomb, 45, according to KBTX.
Prosecutors said a video showed a teacher directing a student to hit another student “in the private area.” The incident lasted about 30 minutes.
Morrison, described by Prosecuting Attorney Sonia Hagood as the “ringleader,” is being held on $250,000 bond and ordered to have no contact with the school or students.
Bean and Bell’s bonds were set at $10,000 each. Lipscomb, a licensed teacher, received a $100,000 bond due to her mandated reporting obligations, KIAT8 reported.
Defense attorneys argue no actual injuries occurred and asked for reduced charges. Hagood rejected the request, saying, “I can’t believe how we have to explain to men how painful it is to be hit in the private area.”
All four are due in court May 22, according to DailyMail.
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[Featured image: Mary Morrison/Craighead County Sheriff’s Office]