A Montgomery County elementary school teacher accused of choking her students as punishment has been found not guilty of assault charges.
The jury acquitted Susan L. Burke, 36, of all charges Friday afternoon, ABC7 reports.
Burke testified this week that she never touched students in her Greencastle Elementary School first-grade class inappropriately. She said she grabbed their shoulders to break up fights, redirect them back to their seats and as part of role-playing exercises.
Several students, who were 6 or 7 years old at the time of the incidents, testifed that Burke choked them when she was upset as a discipline method. But on the witness stand, the students were able to recall few other details about the incidents, such as how many times the attacks occurred or what sparked them.
Burke’s trial began Monday in Montgomery County Circuit Court. She was arrested in February, and is no longer working for Montgomery County Public Schools.
