Aadrina Smith.Photo: Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office
A Louisiana physical education substitute teacher is accused of encouraging students to bully and tackle a classmate.
The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office alleges Aadrina Smith, 24, offered five students $5 each to tackle the female student.
The alleged incident occurred during physical education class at North Caddo Elementary Middle School on Aug. 23.
“She offered to pay the students but ultimately did not,” Sheriff’s spokesperson Bia Roldan tells PEOPLE. “Only three of the students actually touched the victim.”
The sheriff’s office alleges video showed Smith speaking with the five students and “appeared to congratulate three who participated in the battery,” according to a press release.
Roldan says Smith never helped the alleged victim or reported the incident.
“This was out of retaliation,” she tells PEOPLE. “The suspect was upset and thought the student had told the vice principal that she had left work early the day before. Whether or not the student did or not I don’t know. That’s what the motive was.”
Roldan says the sheriff’s office learned of the incident after the student reported it to her parent.
Roldan says the student did not need medical care.
Smith was arrested on Sept. 12 and booked on five counts of contributing to the delinquency of juveniles and malfeasance in office.
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She was released on a $10,000 bond. She has not yet entered a plea, and it was not clear if she had retained an attorney.
“Anything like this should not happen,” Roldan says. “A good takeaway is if you see something, say something. We appreciate that the public is vigilant, and they speak up when they need to.”
The incident is still under investigation and more arrests are possible, according to the sheriff’s office.
Smith could not be reached for comment.
source: people.com
