Former Rockville Principal Acquitted Of Assault Charges: Report

ROCKVILLE, MD — A former Montgomery County school principal has been cleared of an assault charge after he was accused of stomping on a student's foot earlier this year, according to a report.

Andrew Winter, the former principal of Ritchie Park Elementary School in Rockville, was acquitted of second-degree assault after a judge this week ruled there was not enough evidence to prosecute him, MoCo360 reported.

Winter was arrested in June in connection with the alleged assault.

Charging documents previously obtained by WUSA9 claimed Winter grabbed the student by their clothing and forced them to sit on a nearby bench. The document also said Winter stomped on top of the student's right foot as he stood over them, causing the student to cry.

"As [the student] continues to weep, Principal Winter sat down on the bench next to the victim and put his arm around the victim's shoulders," the charging document read.

The reported assault happened during the lunch hour and was captured on school video footage, according to WUSA.

Montgomery County Circuit Judge Sharon Burrell dismissed the case after she said the now 6-year-old student's testimony was inconsistent and that he showed no outward signs of pain in the video, MoCo360 reported.

Burrell also said prosecutors did not prove if the student was upset because he was hurt or because he was told to do something he didn't want to do, the report said.