A judge ordered a woman held on a $200,000 bond after prosecutors say she punched a student after forcing her way into a Waukegan middle school while accompanied by a man, who strangled a teacher.
The Waukegan Police Department and Waukegan Fire Department responded around 7:12 a.m. Tuesday to John Lewis Middle School, 600 South Lewis Avenue, for a report of a battery.
Waukegan Deputy Police Chief Scott Chastain said officers learned that an aunt of a student and an adult male went to the school.
Angel S. Terry, 29, of Waukegan, intended to confront another student about a previous altercation with her niece, Chastain said.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Emma Smoler said the previous altercation had involved Terry’s niece allegedly being struck by the student.
School staff attempted to stop Terry and the male, who attempted to enter the building via an unauthorized entrance, but were battered by them in the process, Smoler said.
A teacher was strangled and slammed to the ground by the unidentified male suspect.
The two subjects made it into the school where Terry battered a student by punching him in the face, Chastain said.
A staff member and teacher were both injured. The student was uninjured.
Terry and the male suspect fled the scene in a blue Nissan before police arrived.
Officers responded to a location in Waukegan and located the suspect vehicle, a blue 2015 Nissan, along with Terry.
Terry was arrested and refused to cooperate with officers in the investigation, Chastain said.
She was charged with aggravated battery to a school employee, battery causing bodily harm and battery making physical contact.
Smoler said the teacher battered by Terry positively identified the woman as the suspect during a show-up.
“We want to commend staff for their handling of today’s incident. They responded immediately upon seeing unknown individuals attempting to enter the building, and they worked to protect our students from harm,” co-principals Molly Schaefer and Amanda Nault said in a message to parents.
School officials called the situation “disturbing and disappointing.”
“As a school community we expect our Lewis students to behave themselves in a respectful and responsible manner. Needless to say, we expect the same from our visiting adults as well. As adults we must do a better job of modeling appropriate behavior for our children,” the message said.
Lake County Judge Theodore Potkonjak ordered Terry held on a $200,000 bond. He also barred the woman from having any contact with the victims or any Waukegan School District 60 property.
Terry remains held in the Lake County Jail and would need to post $20,000 cash in order to be released.