On October 2, the School Resource Officer at Troutman Elementary School received a report of a possible assault involving a teacher assigned to work with exceptional students. After an initial investigation, a warrant was issued for Kassidy Ross, 23, of Statesville, on a charge of Assault on an Individual with Disabilities. Ross was arrested on October 10 and received a $5,000 secured bond. She was immediately suspended from her duties at the school.
Following the arrest, the Troutman Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Unit was contacted by Iredell-Statesville Schools with concerns about additional incidents. Detectives reviewed more than 100 hours of classroom video and identified 13 additional assaults committed by Ross. Investigators also discovered one assault committed by a teacher assistant, Juanita Nesbit, 59, of Troutman.
Both Ross and Nesbit were charged with additional counts of Assault on an Individual with Disabilities. Ross was ordered held without bond due to already being on pre-trial release from the earlier arrest. Nesbit received a $2,500 secured bond.
Authorities expressed gratitude to the administrative staff at Troutman Elementary School for promptly reporting the initial incident and to Iredell-Statesville Schools for their assistance throughout the investigation.
