MARTINSURG, W.Va. — Berkeley County Schools has announced a staff member at Opequon /oe-PECK-un/ Elementary has been charged with Assault and Battery of a Disabled Child.
In an announcement Friday, Superintendent Ron Stephens said, “It is important to me that our community understands that in some situations involving a specific school, we provide information to that school staff and families when we are able to do so. I recognize that often our community feels we should provide more detail. Please recognize that as a school district, we cannot share the same types of details that a law enforcement agency or organization may be able to share. Our school district is bound by student and personnel laws and cannot jeopardize sharing information that is not our information to share.”
Principal of the school Dr. Krista Ematrudo, told families “On December 5th, a member of our school staff reported an incident involving a staff member and one of our students, to school administration. Immediate action was taken, and a mandated report was filed with the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources and with the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department. Following Berkeley County Schools procedures, the staff member was immediately removed from the classroom and placed on administrative leave while the incident was investigated.”
“I have been informed that the staff member under investigation has been charged with assault and battery of a disabled child which is the direct result of the mandated report. It is important for you to know that the parents of all students impacted were notified of the incident by telephone. While I cannot share additional details as this is both a legal and personnel matter, please know that I will continue to put the safety of our students as a top priority.”
“I take my role as principal very seriously and have a responsibility to maintain the safety and well-being of all students and staff members at Opequon Elementary School. I encourage you to reach out to me directly with your concerns. We have an environment that every child’s safety and well- being is the responsibility of every staff member. It is a common practice that if you see something, you say something and that all allegations are taken seriously.”
PRESS RELEASE
On Monday, December 5, 2022, Deputy D.A. Keller the Spring Mills School Resource Officer was
dispatched to Opequon Elementary School located at 395 East Road Martinsburg for the report of an assault
on a student by a teacher.
Upon arrival, he spoke with the assistant principal, Leonard Jurkowski and the mother of the victim of the
incident, Dep. Keller was advised the victim is diagnosed as having Autism and is non-verbal. Dep. Keller
reviewed the video from the school’s system, which showed suspect, Staff Member William F. Hufnagel
entering the school’s sensory room with the victim who was crying. The victim then walked to the corner of
the room and when Mr. Hufnagel attempted to escort the victim to another area of the room the victim fell to
the ground; at that point Mr. Hufnagel dragged the victim on the ground by his arm across the room and
pushed the victim by the chest area into the ball pit. The victim crawled out of the ball pit at which time Mr.
Hufnagel placed him on the ground and removed his shoes, during the incident the victim did also have a
scratch on his side.
At the conclusion of his investigation, Dep. Keller filed a complaint for warrant Mr. Hufnagel was
subsequently arrested on December 13, 2022 for the charge of Assault and Battery of a disabled child and
arraigned with the Berkeley County Magistrate Court.
