Inset: Janelle Brooks (Warner Elementary School Facebook). Background: Warner Elementary School in East Nashville (Google Maps).
A 38-year-old elementary school principal in Tennessee is accused of abusing her 13-year-old son, allegedly forcing him out of the house in only his underwear, then beating him with a paddle and strangling him until he was left "wheezing" for breath.
Authorities arrested Janelle Brooks, the principal of Warner Arts Magnet Elementary School in Nashville, last week and charged her with one count of aggravated domestic assault, court records show.
The allegations surfaced after Brooks' ex-husband, who is also the victim's father, contacted the Portland Police Department over concerns for the safety of his children while they were staying with their mother, according to a report from the Nashville Banner. The ex-husband said he was initially worried that Brooks' new boyfriend was disciplining the children without his permission.
The 13-year-old reportedly provided a statement to police claiming that his mother had ordered him to leave her home but prohibited him from taking anything she had purchased for him, including his clothing, The Tennessean reported. That left the boy in only his underwear.
Brooks then allegedly grabbed a paddle from another room and struck her son in the legs multiple times before grabbing him around his neck and squeezing until he was "wheezing" for breath, Nashville Fox affiliate WZTV reported.
Asked why he didn't contact police about the alleged violent incident, the victim reportedly said he was not permitted access to a phone or other electronic device when at his mother's home.
In an interview with detectives, Brooks allegedly admitted that she used a paddle to discipline her son, according to the arrest affidavit.
"Mrs. Brooks stated that her son, the 13-year-old, had disrespected her," police reportedly wrote in the affidavit. "Mrs. Brooks stated further that she had grabbed a paddle to discipline her son, to which she said he had responded 'you're not going to paddle me.' Mrs. Brooks stated that she told her 13 year old son that he could get out then. However she was not allowing him to leave with any items she had personally purchased for him, so her 13-year-old son was now only in his underwear."
The principal also reportedly acknowledged going for her son's throat because he had "swelled up at her," but claimed the boy grabbed her arms and tried to block her.
One day after Brooks' Aug. 20 arrest, Metro Nashville Public Schools placed her on administrative leave pending an external investigation. In an email to parents obtained by the Banner, the district said the incident had nothing to do with Brooks' work at the school.
"The matter involving Dr. Brooks had nothing to do with her work as principal or to the operations of Warner Elementary," the district said. "Because this is an ongoing personnel matter, we are unable to provide additional information at this time."
Brooks was released from the Sumner County Jail on Aug. 21 after posting a $15,000 bond, court records show. She was also served with an order of protection and is scheduled to make her first appearance in court Sept. 4.