Henderson school board member: Video of deputy striking 5th grade child 'horrific'

Following a decision in September by Henderson County District Attorney Andrew Murray not to prosecute Alan Brackett, the school resource officer who was the subject of an SBI excessive force investigation, most school board members have been silent.

But one member is outraged and questioning why Brackett, a sheriff's deputy, has not been fired.

The seven school board members are among the few people who have seen video of an incident in which Brackett pinned down a fifth-grader with his knee before striking the child in the face, according to a May 9 email written by then-Superintendent John Bryant. The incident, which happened in the main office that day at Fletcher Elementary, was captured on a school security camera, Bryant wrote.

Henderson County Public Schools has denied the Citizen Times access to the footage.

“The video you requested contains student information and images and is confidential under federal law,” schools spokesperson Kimbrell Arrowood said in an email Sept. 26.

Past reporting on HCSO, Alan Brackett:SBI investigating school resource officer's use of force on Fletcher Elementary student

The video in question was “visceral” and “horrific,” board member Stacey Caskey told the Citizen Times Oct. 4.

“I have seen the video numerous times – more times than I care to have seen the video,” she said. “I don’t think I can actually close my eyes without seeing this video. The only word I could use is ‘visceral.’ It’s very horrendous seeing what we had to see and then, to be honest, having our district attorney not feel that excessive force was used on a fifth-grade child.”

On Sept. 23 Murray, who also serves as the top prosecutor for Polk and Transylvania counties, announced that he would not bring criminal charges on Brackett. He added that Brackett’s force was not excessive, but declined to explain how he reached his decision. SBI reports are not open to the public. District attorneys can decide to release them, however.

More:Fletcher Elementary SRO investigated by SBI: Officer fired more than once previously

More:Emails: Fletcher SRO 'struck', pinned down fifth-grader; DA now reviewing case

More:Henderson County DA: Cop's force against 5th-grader was 'not excessive'; no charges

More:Deputy in Fletcher Elementary incident no longer SRO for Henderson County Public Schools

The Citizen Times reached out to the board’s six other members: Chairperson Blair Craven, Vice Chairperson Amy Lynn Holt, Robert Bridges, Dot Case, Jay Egolf and Kathy Revis. They did not respond to multiple requests for comment since Oct. 4.

Current Superintendent Mark Garrett did not respond to requests for comment. A secretary said he was out of the office on Oct. 6.

“I mean, it was horrific," said Caskey, who has served on the board since 2020. "It was horrible to watch. And at the time, me being foolish as I am, I thought, 'Well, this is investigated and this is sent to the DA. Of course charges will be filed because I don’t know what other thing constitutes justice.' But as we know, justice is different in different places.”

Hours after Murray announced his decision, the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office announced that it would provide “no further comment.”

“There are a lot of answers that I have not received,” Caskey said. “For example, we have not been told why this deputy has not been fired,” though she noted that the board knows Brackett will not work in Henderson County Public Schools again.

Brackett, 47, has returned to work at the Henderson County Sheriff's Office, according to a copy of his personnel record released on Oct. 5. He was transferred to the patrol division on Oct. 1. He makes $22.67 an hour.

First hired in 1996, Brackett was “discharged” in 2015, under the leadership of Sheriff Charles McDonald, but hired back by current Sheriff Lowell Griffin in 2020. He was also fired from the Laurel Park Police Department after only a few months there, Chief Bobbie Trotter previously confirmed to the Citizen Times.

“Having been in education for as long as I have, you know, I say this to everyone: There’s not my child, there’s not your child,” Caskey said. “They’re all our children. And I do believe that. And I think if people were to replace this child with their child … how would they react differently? Heaven knows if someone put their hands on my child the way this situation went down, this would be on the national news.”

Ryan Oehrli covers breaking news and social justice for the Asheville Citizen-Times. Send tips to coehrli@citizentimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: School board member calls video of Fletcher SRO striking child 'visceral'