Court News, (Central Nebraska Today)
MAYWOOD — The Maywood Public Schools superintendent who was charged with felony child abuse has been found not guilty after a two-day jury trial.
Mark Bejot, 64, had been charged with committing intentional child abuse – no injury, a Class 3A felony and false reporting, a Class 1 misdemeanor.
A two-day jury trial came to an end during the afternoon of Tuesday, July 29 after a jury of six men and six women deliberated for around an hour. They found Bejot not guilty of both counts.
Per an affidavit submitted by the state in the case, they noted that the Maywood Public Schools principal Lucas McCain confirmed that Bejot was reinstated as the superintendent of the district during a school board meeting on Dec. 16, 2024, and returned to school on Dec. 17, 2024.
According to an affidavit filed in Frontier County Court, the Frontier County Sheriff’s Office started an investigation after a family member contacted the office who was concerned about an incident at the school involving a 12-year-old student.
The affidavit notes that Bejot approached the 12-year-old who was wearing a cowboy hat in the school commons area and asked him to remove the hat.
Surveillance video and witness statements indicate that Bejot attempted to take the hat after the student took it off and held it to their side opposite Bejot.
Bejot then “leaps for the hat, wrapping his arms around (the student) as he stands behind him,” according to the affidavit.
The video shows the student attempting to keep the hat away from Bejot, but Bejot is pulling backwards on his arms. “It then appears that Bejot hooks his hands into (the student’s) armpits pulling backwards,” per the affidavit.
The student then fell to the floor from the stool they were sitting on.
“It appears that (the student) is attempting to get off the floor, but Bejot is pushing down on his shoulders keeping him from standing up and pulling at the cowboy hat,” the affidavit states.
Bejot gets the hat from the student’s hand and lets them up. The video shows Bejot stepping toward the student, who then raises a fist and Bejot backed up slightly.
