Assault Charges Dropped Against Haverford School Headmaster: DA

The Delaware County District Attorney's Office announced Thursday that the simple assault charge filed against the Haverford School headmaster has been dropped.

The DA's office said the charges filed against John Nagl were dropped due to insufficient evidence. Nagl had been charged with simple assault, a misdemeanor, on Oct. 10 after allegedly being involved in a physical altercation with his son after finding marijuana in his son's backpack.

Authorities reviewed the case, the DA's office said, including affidavits, witness statement, personal interviews and additional evidence. Through the review, the DA's office said there was enough probable cause to arrest Nagl, but not enough evidence to uphold the simple assault charge.

The charge led the school to place Nagl on administrative leave and name Assistant Headmaster Mark Thorburn as acting headmaster.

"The Board of Trustees is scheduled to meet early next week to fairly and deliberately assess the situation in light of this new development," Haverford School's Board of Trustees Chairman William C. Yoh said in a statement about the charge being dropped. "We appreciate our community's continued focus on the well-being of our boys and our shared responsibility of preparing boys for life."

Patch file photo