Superintendent assault trial gets under way
Superintendent assault trial gets under way
By JOHN PEPIN, Journal Munising Bureau
Martin, 53, whose permanent address is in downstate Linden, is free on bond after being arraigned earlier this year on one count of assault or assault and battery. The charge is punishable by up to 93 days in jail and a fine of up to $500.
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Last month, the trial was postponed to allow more time to interview additional witnesses and complete a supplemental police report.
Martin is being represented by attorney Prentiss Brown of St. Ignace and village attorney James Robinson is prosecuting the case before Judge Beth Ann Gibson.
A jury of six and one alternate will be picked today from a pool of 50 potential jurors who were in court this morning. Robinson said there are about 20 witnesses expected to testify during the trial.
According to the criminal complaint filed in the case, some of the witnesses to the Jan. 5 incident include Tahquamenon Area School Board members Georgia French, Lori Miller and Roy Holcomb.
On Jan. 24, the village police began an investigation into the incident, which was originally reported to school board members.
Martin said previously he did not expect the allegations and that he was contacted by police in late February and cooperated fully with their investigation.
On March 1, the board hired Tom Watson, former Gladstone schools superintendent, to investigate the allegations from a school perspective. The internal Watson query was initiated to determine whether Martin may have violated any policies in place at the school district.
Watson was expected to return a report to the school board, which would then make decisions based on Watson’s findings. School officials said the investigation has been completed but will not be presented to the school board until after Martin’s court trial.
Since Martin was placed on leave in early March, former Tahquamenon Superintendent Margaret Goldthorpe has been his temporary replacement.
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