A Tampa middle school principal has been assigned other duties while police investigate allegations against him of child abuse.
- Alleged incident occurred March 21
- Principal accused of grabbing student, throwing him into a bush
- Witnesses tell completely different story
The attorney for Coleman Middle School principal Michael Hoskinson, Rick Escobar, held a news conference Thursday afternoon to discuss his client’s innocence.
The allegations surfaced on March 21, when a student called 911 and alleged that Hoskinson grabbed him by the back of his neck and by the waist and threw him into the bushes.
Parents invited to speak at the news conference by Escobar who said they witnessed the incident told a different story. They said the student was cursing and being unruly during dismissal, and that they saw Hoskinson grab the kid by the arm to try to restrain him.
They said they believed Hoskinson acted appropriately.
“[The student] wasn’t pushed into the bush," explained parent Denise Battle. "Mr. Hoskinson was standing right behind the little kid. He was trying to calm him down. [The student] kept saying 'f this', 'f that.' And [Hoskinson] said 'I’m not even holding you, you’re free to go.”
“No question in my mind he is going to be completely cleared," Escobar said. "I don’t know of a single witness who was out there other than maybe complainant himself that believed that the actions that were taken by my client were inappropriate in any way."
According to Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan, detectives have interviewed the student who made the 911 call, along with 11 other students and four adults.
The chief’s statement said Hoskinson, speaking through Escobar, declined requests to speak with police to give his side of the story.
Escobar did not allow his client to speak during the news conference, either. Escobar also said he’s unaware of any surveillance video capturing the incident.
“We owe it to the student who made the call and to the principal to be fair and thorough in our investigation," Dugan said in a statement. "Our detectives have done that. At this time, the results of the investigation have been shared with the State Attorney’s Ofice so they can determine whether a crime occurred."
A child abuse charge against Hoskinson was dropped back in January in a different case. In that instance, Hoskinson and his wife were accused of bruising the ribs of a child and sending a threatening text message.
Detectives later learned those allegations were false.