Gary mom enters guilty plea in elementary school battery case

The criminal case against a Gary mom accused of attacking a teacher and principal at Marquette Elementary in 2018 after her son ran off twice could soon be settled.

Latashay Bonner, 32, agreed to plead guilty Tuesday to battery resulting in moderate bodily injury, a level 6 felony, and battery resulting in bodily injury, a class A misdemeanor. She also agreed to undergo anger management and write apology letters.

Her lawyer, Matt LaTulip, said the agreement was reasonable, noting her lack of criminal history before and after the incident.

Lake Superior Judge Natalie Bokota ordered a presentencing investigation report and would review the plea to see if she would eventually accept the deal. Bonner’s next court date is May 27.

After being told her son was missing, Bonner walked into Marquette, 6401 Hemlock Ave., around 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 13, 2018, and started yelling and cursing at the principal in front of other students, court records state.

Earlier in the day, the boy ran from the principal’s office after he was caught outside in an inappropriate situation with a female student, court documents show. A school resource officer convinced him to come back to the school. Staff called the wrong parent after the child gave a different name. While in the principal’s office, the boy ran out a second time and Bonner was called, records say.

Bonner confronted the principal, pushing her to the ground and kicking her in the leg, court documents state. The woman twisted her knee and was later taken to a hospital as a precaution.

When a teacher standing behind her asked her to leave, Bonner pushed her to the ground, sat on the woman’s hips and punched her multiple times in the back of the head, court records said.

The woman had several lumps on her head, a rug burn on her wrist and a swollen lip from striking the floor, documents said. Two other teachers moved to pull Bonner off her. Bonner “kicked and stomped” the injured woman on her left hip before being pulled away, charging documents said. The woman was also treated at the hospital.

Walking outside, officers told her they found her son.

The Gary school district sued Bonner in September for damages from the fight. In filings, it said it paid nearly $26,000 in medical bills and lost wages for both women.