A Blue Earth Area elementary teacher charged with misdemeanor domestic assault has accepted a prosecutor’s plea offer, but the status of his license is still unclear.
Winnebago City Attorney David Frundt says 31-year-old Steven Wood agreed to a continuance for dismissal during a court hearing held Monday in Faribault County District Court.
Frundt says the case has been put on hold for nine months with conditions that Wood have no same or similar assaultive behavior and pay a $585 fine. He faced a maximum sentence of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
“If he meets these conditions, the case will be dismissed,” says Frundt. “His wife was in court with him and stated that she consented to this resolution as the victim.”
Meanwhile, an official with the Minnesota Board of Teaching says the School Board will have to decide what to do next.
“If they were to take disciplinary action, that would require a mandate report to the Board of Teaching,” says Monica Rasmussen, teacher ethics specialist. “I don’t think they have contacted us so far, but we need to be aware of that information.”
Rasmussen says Wood could have his license suspended or revoked, however, that would depend on the seriousness of his conduct and terms of the plea agreement.
Superintendent Evan Gough has said in the past that the school district is conducting its own investigation.
Gough will not comment on Wood’s current employment status and if he was allowed to continue teaching following the incident.
According to court documents, Wood was arrested the night of May 16 at his home in Winnebago after an officer responded to a 911 call around 10:39 p.m.
The School District’s website says Wood has been at BEA for at least five years and is currently teaching third grade.