Tuolumne County teacher arrested for throwing indoor baseball base at student, deputies say
TUOLUMNE COUNTY – A teacher was arrested in Tuolumne County Saturday afternoon after deputies said he threw an indoor baseball base at a student on Friday.
The Tuolumne County Sheriff's Office said it began reviewing video surveillance at Curtis Creek Elementary School Saturday morning after a parent reported an assault took place at the school on Friday.
Deputies said the video showed a teacher, who they identified as 60-year-old Phillip Hickey, throwing an indoor baseball base at a student's chest after the teacher was hit by a "small squishy toy" that the student threw.
The student's parent then requested a citizen's arrest.
Deputies said they arrested Hickey on charges of battery on school grounds and misdemeanor child abuse.
Curtis Creek School District's website says Hickey is a seventh and eighth-grade English language arts teacher.
The school is located east of Sonora and about 115 miles southeast of Sacramento.
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