Nebraska superintendent charged after boy falls in scuffle over cowboy hat

A western Nebraska school superintendent who wanted a student to remove his cowboy hat is facing a felony charge after the boy fell to the ground during a scuffle over the hat.

The Maywood School District put Mark Bejot on administrative leave after he was charged with child abuse Monday over the Oct. 1 incident in the school's commons area.

Frontier County Sheriff Michael Jordan said that while the superintendent maintains that the boy inadvertently fell off a stool, surveillance video appears to show Bejot pulling the boy off the stool while reaching for the hat. The sheriff learned about the incident after the boy’s mother called him about it.

Bejot posted $5,000 bond so he could remain free ahead of his next hearing in November. Court records don't show that he has an attorney yet.

The version of events Bejot described to Jordan differed from the way the boy's family described him being thrown to the floor, but Jordan said he decided to send the case to the Nebraska Attorney General for review after he saw surveillance video that gave him concerns about the way the superintendent handled it. Prosecutors there decided to charge him after reviewing the evidence.

A phone number listed for Bejot in the southwest Nebraska town of about 250 people wasn't working Thursday, and he didn't immediately respond to emails.

He told the sheriff the boy initially refused to remove the hat and then intentionally put it where it would be hard to reach. He said the boy fell off a stool as Bejot reached for the cowboy hat despite his efforts to keep him from falling. The boy then threatened to hit the superintendent and stormed out to call his dad, Bejot said.

Jordan said that in the surveillance video, it appeared that Bejot leaped for the hat after the boy took it off, and then hooked his hands under the boy's armpits and pulled him off the stool. Jordan said the video also showed Bejot pushing the boy's shoulders down while pulling the hat out of his hands. The boy then got up and raised his fist at the superintendent before grabbing his phone and walking outside, Jordan said.

When the sheriff confronted Bejot about the video, he told Jordan, “I did not hurt that kid," according to the sheriff's affidavit. But Jordan told him the video looked bad without context.

The Maywood School Board said in a statement that Bejot had been put on administrative leave, but said board members couldn't discuss details of the situation because it is a personnel matter. The board said it remains committed to ensuring a safe environment for all students.