GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.-
A Grand Junction High School teacher was facing possible criminal charges after an altercation at a business late last month, police said.
Michael Taylor is a business teacher at the school who was arrested after a verbal and physical fight with Gregory McQuitter of Parachute at the Ale House, April 27.
Witnesses allege Taylor, who’s white, got into a shouting match with McQuitter, who’s black.
Grand Junction police say the fight became physical when Taylor yelled racial slurs. When McQuitter approached Taylor, the teacher and another man allegedly threw McQuitter to the ground, then hit and kicked him in the face multiple times.
“Fortunately, the victim wasn’t injured very seriously, according to the information we have from St. Mary’s Hospital,” Linda Bowman, Grand Junction police spokeswoman, told KKCO-TV. “But, it was a pretty serious crime, and it could have been much worse that it actually was.”
An arrest affidavit says Taylor faces charges of ethnic intimidation, and third-degree assault.
Some parents of Grand Junction High students have expressed concern that Taylor is still in the classroom, despite the allegations.
A spokesperson for Mesa County Valley School District 51 told KKCO the district is following standard procedures, and is conducting a thorough investigation into Taylor’s alleged actions.
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Information from KKCO-TV,
