HANCOCK COUNTY — A Sugar Creek Elementary School teacher has been placed on administrative leave after she was arrested Tuesday on two counts of domestic battery.
Angela Merritt, 44, Morristown, was arrested and charged with a Level 6 felony count of domestic battery committed in the presence of a child less than 16 years old; and a Class A misdemeanor count of domestic battery. The most serious charge carries a sentence of up to 2½ years.
Southern Hancock administrators were notified Tuesday by local law enforcement officials about the arrest.
According to a probable cause affidavit, On July 7, police were called to a disturbance in the 4000 block of West Potomac Drive, which is in the Washington Village apartment complex along U.S. 40 east of County Road 500W.
An officer from the New Palestine Police Department arrived and separated two adults, who were identified as Merritt and her ex-husband, Thomas Merritt, the affidavit said.
Thomas Merritt told Hancock County sheriff’s deputies who also responded that he got into an argument with his ex-wife when she arrived to pick up their two children, the affidavit said.
Thomas Merritt said the argument became loud, and as the children were making their way to their mother’s car, Angela Merritt pushed him with both hands on his chest, forcing him to back away from her. Thomas Merritt then showed deputies four scratches about 4 inches long on his abdomen and blamed his ex-wife for the marks.
Angela Merritt told the deputies that her ex-husband pointed his finger in her face without touching her, and she shoved him with both hands to “back him off,” the affidavit said.
Angela Merritt said she had not been struck or touched and that the scratches had to be self-inflicted because she had not scratched him. Police noted Thomas Merritt did not have fingernails sufficient to cause the injury, the affidavit said.
While the incident happened two months ago, officials from the prosecutor’s office said they needed additional information, which took time to gather, before they could file charges, deputy prosecutor Catherine Wilson said.
Wes Anderson, Southern Hancock’s director of school and community relations, said in a news release that the district recognizes the seriousness of the issue and acted quickly to place Angela Merritt, who teaches fourth grade at Sugar Creek Elementary, on administrative leave to allow the matter to be investigated and addressed.
He also noted the district will continue to fully cooperate with law enforcement as they continue their investigation, but that the district is not at liberty to discuss any additional details regarding the matter.
Angela Merritt made her first court appearance on Wednesday morning and pleaded not guilty. She was released on a cash bond of $1,000, and a no-contact ordered was applied. She has a pretrial conference set for Oct. 23.
