Tim Garner

DAHLONEGA, Ga. – The trial of a former Lumpkin County teacher charged with child cruelty and simple battery for pushing a student at the alternative school and grabbing him by the throat in April 2017 will resume in the courtroom of Chief Superior Court Judge Stanley Gunter Tuesday at 9 a.m.

The incident was recorded on a security camera in the cafeteria at Lumpkin County Choice Academy. Garner, 59, was a teacher and assistant baseball coach at the middle school when he got into an argument with 17-year-old Kaylor Blackwell which escalated into a physical confrontation.

Garner resigned and turned himself in at the Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office but said he acted in self defense. “I was in fear of a head butt or something like that or carrying something,” he told WSB-TV.

Two weeks ago, Garner’s brother, Pat Garner, testified for the defense. He said Blackwell was a troubled kid and a serious threat. “He’s explosive. He strikes fear in people. It’s just the way he is and he knows that and likes doing it,” he said.

Pat Garner said he first became aware of Blackwell when he was assigned to teach and to protect students and teachers from the teen at the middle school for two years. He said one teacher refused to allow Blackwell in her class and another would allow him in her class, but only if it was a co-taught class and Pat Garner was in the class with her.

Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. FYN attracts 300,000+ page views per month, 3.5 million impressions per month and approximately 15,000 viewers per week on FYNTV.com and up to 60,000 Facebook page reach. If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com