Oregon School Board president in courtroom Monday - 19 Action News|Cleveland, OH|News, Weather, Sports

Oregon School Board president in courtroom Monday

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By Mackenzie Miller - email
Oregon School Board President P.J. Kapfhammer has been charged with two misdemeanors after a recent incident at Clay High School. Oregon School Board President P.J. Kapfhammer has been charged with two misdemeanors after a recent incident at Clay High School.
OREGON, OH (Toledo News Now) -

Oregon's school board president will be in the courtroom tomorrow.

According to court records, P.J. Kapfhammer is set to be arraigned on menacing and disorderly conduct charges.

P.J. Kapfhammer was accused of verbally abusing a person with autism during a recent incident at Clay High School. Baseball players were working out in the weight room Feb. 1 when Kapfhammer approached 25-year-old Thomas Blachowski and began shouting at him, gesturing for him to leave.

A student tried to defend Blachowski, saying he was an honorary manager of the Clay baseball team.

Kapfhammer admitted there was a confrontation and has been charged with two misdemeanors: disorderly conduct and menacing.

Blachowski's mother said witnesses reported that Kapfhammer told Blachowski he needed his "butt kicked."

"I don't know where that came from," Kapfhammer said. "Not only did I not say that, I will pay for a lie detector test and take it myself to prove that."

The assistant police chief of Oregon turned over the investigation to the Northwood prosecutor, who determined the charges.

Superintendent Mike Zalar said the incident was a misunderstanding.

"Mr. Kapfhammer did follow our school safety protocols," Zalar said. "When you see somebody in a building that you don't recognize, our protocol is that you ask them to identify themselves."

Kapfhammer said he didn't know at the time that Blachowski had autism, and that he felt bad for how he handled the situation.

"As an educator, I would like to hold [board presidents] to a highest standard of behavior. That there would be, not just mature, but a deep regard for every human being," said Dennis Slotnik, a biology teacher at Clay High School who taught Kapfhammer years ago.

The following conversation between Kapfhammer and a family member of Blachowski occurred on Facebook after the incident:

Facebook Conversation Between School Board President And Victim's Family Member

Read more on the incident:

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