3rd grade teacher charged with assaulting 9-year-old girl makes court appearance

ROCK HILL, SC (WBTV) - A 3rd grade teacher who was arrested and charged with assaulting a 9-year-old female student made his first court appearance Wednesday.

According to the Rock Hill School District, Daniel Johns, a third-grade teacher at Rosewood Elementary School, is on administrative leave with pay following an incident that occurred Wednesday morning before school began.Officials say the incident involved Johns and a third-grade student.

Johns applied for a  Pretrial Intervention Program in court.

According to a Rock Hill police report, officers were called to Rosewood Elementary at 12:15 p.m. on Wednesday.

That's when officers learned that between 7:30 a.m. and 7:40 a.m. Johns reportedly assaulted a 9-year-old girl.

Police officials told WBTV that Johns grabbed the little girl by the arm, because she wasn't listening, and left a "pretty obvious bruise" on the upper left arm of the girl.  She did not require immediate medical attention.

Police say the 35-year-old teacher has been charged with 3rd degree assault. He turned himself in early Thursday morning.

A parent-link call was placed Wednesday night, according to CN2, and there was another teacher in the classroom Thursday morning.

District officials are hopeful the incident will be resolved while students are on spring break next week, CN2 reported.

Johns has been a teacher in Rock Hill Schools, and at Rosewood Elementary, since August 2002.

Rock Hill school officials say they are working with the Rock Hill police on their investigation.

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