MELBOURNE, Fla. – An elementary school janitor is facing charges after Melbourne police say he tried to discipline a student in the cafeteria.
Officers were called to Sabal Elementary School on the afternoon of Jan. 29 in reference to a battery, according to the Melbourne Police Department. When officers arrived, they spoke with the student’s parent who said their child got into an altercation with a school employee.
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The child had scratches on his face and neck that were red and swollen, police noted in an arrest report.
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The student told officers he was sitting in the cafeteria during lunch and was approached by John Scott Mcleod as he was trying to leave the cafeteria, records show. Mcleod told the child to sit down. Officers note the child felt threatened by Mcleod’s demand, an arrest report reads.
Mcleod, identified as a school janitor, continued to block the student even “belly-bumping” the child multiple times to keep him from leaving the area, records show. An arrest report says the child told officers the janitor kept antagonizing him to start a fight and even “got in his face.”
The child eventually pushed Mcleod away and tried to step away from him but the 59-year-old then grabbed the student and dragged him on the ground, MPD said. The student said the janitor pinned him to the floor and hit the left side of his face. Mcleod then left the situation to find an administrator, according to police.
Investigators said another custodian that was present corroborated much of the details presented by the student, adding Mcleod said “hit me” a few times while blocking the student from his seat. The school employee said at one point Mcleod had the student in a headlock, records show.
School administrators reported the two have had confrontations before in which the employee has been told not to interact with any students in that way.
Mcleod was arrested at his home on Jan. 30, according to MPD, and is now facing a child abuse charge. Jail records show he’s awaiting trial.