Woodland High School principal charged with domestic assault

The Woodland School District's high school principal has been charged with second-degree domestic assault after he allegedly assaulted his girlfriend late last month at a principals' conference at the Lake of the Ozarks.

Hershel Delane Beckwith, 44, of Sikeston, Mo., was charged with the felony in the Circuit Court of Camden County. His initial arraignment is scheduled for 1 p.m. April 28.

The criminal complaint charges that on the night of March 27 Beckwith injured a woman when he grabbed her by the throat, threw her on the bed and then grabbed her by the hair to drag her back into the couple's room. Beckwith and the victim were attending the Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals' spring conference March 27 to 29 at The Lodge of Four Seasons in Camden County. The name of this year's conference was "Be Somebody's Hero," according to the association's website.

The victim told Camden County investigator Christopher Shreve that Beckwith's friends were teasing him in their room, according to the probable-cause statement. A short time later, Beckwith "got mad and grabbed her by the throat and threw her on the bed."

She said she kicked her boyfriend away and attempted to leave the room, at which time Beckwith grabbed her by the hair and attempted to drag her back into the room, the court document says. The victim said that during the incident her right thumb was bent backward. She then went to a room down the hall and asked for help.

The woman declined medical attention, and the investigator said he was unable to see any marks or bruises.

Beckwith originally told the investigator that nothing had happened, then said the couple had had an argument, according to the statement.

"It should be noted there was a strong odor of intoxicants emitting from [Beckwith's] person and his speech was slurred when he spoke," Shreve reported in the court document.

The investigator interviewed witness Jim Hawkinson, who said Beckwith earlier in the evening was involved in an altercation with an unidentified man.

"Jim said around an hour later he heard a door open and [the victim] came out of the room and scream[ed] and fell to the floor," Shreve said in the probable-cause statement. Hawkinson confirmed the woman's story, that Beckwith had dragged her by the hair.

After Shreve accused Beckwith of lying, he "admitted to grabbing [the victim] by the throat and dragging her by the hair."

The victim repeatedly declined to file charges, and it was decided that she would stay in another room for the night, the court document says. Beckwith was advised to have no contact with his girlfriend for 12 hours. He quickly broke that restriction, Shreve said, by calling his girlfriend on her cellphone and pleading with the investigator to bring her back to the couple's room. He was handcuffed and arrested on charges of domestic assault and taken to the Camden County Jail, where he was held for 24 hours.

Beckwith was released on a $10,000 surety bond, $1,000 cash, under the condition that he have no communication with the victim. He faces up to seven years in prison if convicted.

Beckwith declined to speak to the Southeast Missourian on Tuesday afternoon, according to Woodland superintendent Jennings Wilkinson.

Wilkinson said he was not at liberty to talk about the charge against Beckwith because it involves a personnel issue. He would only say that "there was an incident at a meeting off-campus and we as a district have responded to it. It is an ongoing personnel matter at this time."

One source told the Southeast Missourian that the high school held an assembly where Beckwith told students about his arrest. Wilkinson confirmed the assembly and that there was an incident mentioned but said details of the incident were not released.

A review of Missouri court cases shows Beckwith has no previous arrests.

mkittle@semissourian.com

388-3627

Pertinent address:

315 Lodge of Four Seasons Drive, Four Seasons, MO

Woodland High School, Marble Hill, MO