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NH Teacher Charged With Assault For Allegedly Knocking Candy Out Of Student's Hand

MANCHESTER, N.H. (CBS) — A Manchester, NH teacher allegedly assaulted a 14-year-old student in a middle school classroom in late January.

Anita Lemay, 52, of Manchester, has been charged with one count of simple assault following an incident at Southside Middle School on Jan. 29.

The teen allegedly disrupted class while eating candy and refused to listen to Lemay, so she knocked the candy out of his hand and left a scratch on his wrist, police say.

A paraprofessional saw what happened, removed the student from class and reported the incident to the principal. The principal then told the school resource officer about the incident.

After speaking with Lemay, police determined that she made "unprivileged physical contact" with the teen. A warrant was issued, and she turned herself in to police at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Lemay's attorney, Jim Rosenberg, told WBZ that it is important to understand what the circumstances were that led to the alleged incident.

"Anita has no criminal record. She has served admirably as a teacher in the Manchester School District for over 15 years," Rosenberg said.

According to a spokesperson for the Manchester School District, Lemay has worked for the district since 1996 with one small break in 1998. She is a math teacher, who has worked at Southside Middle School since September, 2015.

Lemay was placed on paid administrative leave on Feb. 1, where she will remain pending the outcome of a police investigation and a district investigation.

She is scheduled to appear in court on March 24.

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