The Huron Daily Tribune reports that the upset mother detained outside of the K-8 entrance of Harbor Beach Community Schools Wednesday afternoon was arraigned Thursday on two felony charges related to her run-in with police.
The woman, 39-year-old Jennifer Lynn Howard, allegedly spat on the three officers who subdued her, also kicking a police car hard enough to leave a dent. For these actions, she was formally charged with one count of resisting or obstructing a police officer, and a count of malicious destruction of police property.
Huron County Assistant Prosecutor Alexander Pahany noted that, prior to Wednesday’s incident, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services had removed Howard’s children from her home. Howard is currently being held at the Huron County Jail on a $50,000 bond.
In a statement on Facebook, superintendent Dr. Shawn Bishop noted that the disturbance started outside the school’s K-8 office “moments before dismissal” and that the Harbor Beach Police were called to the scene. A photo taken by a student and submitted to the Huron Daily Tribune newspaper shows Harbor Beach Police Chief Todd Buchholtz and Fire Chief Jason Lermont holding Howard down.
While the arrest was happening, Dr. Bishop says class dismissal for the day was rerouted to the school’s north entrance and away from the K-8 entrance, where the arrest was taking place. The superintendent says no student was in any danger and that this was an isolated incident. Classes resumed as usual on Thursday morning.
