Dwight Jefferson, former principal of Dwight Eisenhower Middle School in Laurel, Md. (Photo/Office of the State’s Attorney)
After hours of deliberation for a verdict, the jury in the State v. Dwight Jefferson case found the former principal not guilty of child abuse and second-degree assault. The trial took place at the Prince George’s County Courthouse in Upper Marlboro, Md. “My God is awesome,” Jefferson said. “God forgives us so who am I to hold a grudge against anyone? They thought they were doing their job. They believed in what they were doing, and I’m okay with that.”
Leonard L. Long, attorney for Jefferson, told the AFRO after the hearing that Jefferson was a “consummate professional.”
“I think that the prosecution should have done a more extensive investigation of the facts and circumstances of the purported victim’s allegations against Mr. Jefferson,” Long said.
In a news release, Prince George’s County State Attorney Angela Alsobrooks said, “We believe this was a case where Mr. Jefferson went too far in disciplining a student and we feel that we had sufficient evidence to support that,” Alsobrooks said in a news release. “A jury of citizens deliberated for hours over the facts of this case, returned a verdict of not guilty and we respect their decision.”
Dwight Jefferson was the former principal of Dwight Eisenhower Middle School in Laurel, Md. The information from the court’s Public Information Office stated that “Jefferson allegedly stopped the victim on his way to class and when he tried to run, he called him over for a second time. After telling the student to go to the conference room in the office for suspension, the victim alleges he was asked to a back room where Jefferson punched him twice in the stomach.
The victim then alleges he put his guard up and prepared to strike Jefferson back, but was subsequently punched in the face. The victim later returned to class where a teacher and others noticed the victim’s eye was swollen and the teacher subsequently notified school administrators.” The alleged incident occurred in September 2014.
During the trial the 14-year-old Ennos was described as a “tyrant.” The Public Information Office write-up stated that during the encounter with Ennos, Jefferson confronted him “about being late for class and the way in which he was speaking to adults at the school.”
“The facts don’t warrant a criminal charge,” said Long. “Daniel Ennos is a young man, beset with problems with anger management issues and not worthy of belief.”