Staff photo / Ed Runyan ... Geraldine DeWitt, left, speaks to Judge Renee DiSalvo of Youngstown Municipal Court during her sentencing hearing Thursday. Behind her is her attorney, Ron Yarwood, and Angela Miner, a court-security bailiff.

YOUNGSTOWN — Former teacher Geraldine DeWitt, 62, was sentenced to 30 days in jail for assaulting a special needs student at McGuffey Elementary School in April 2019.

Youngstown Municipal Court Judge Renee DiSalvo issued the sentence Thursday.

DeWitt must report to jail March 4 unless she can provide a report from her doctor indicating a need for her jail time to be postponed until after she gets the COVID-19 vaccine.

Her attorney, Ronald Yarwood, argued that because of DeWitt’s age, health and having not yet gotten a COVID-19 vaccine, going to jail now could “become something much more permanent than a jail sentence.”

After the hearing, the child’s mother, Jasmine Hyde, said there was no excuse for what DeWitt did to her son because DeWitt was supposed to be a “professional.” Hyde said her son continues to suffer ill effects from what DeWitt did.

A Youngstown police report states Hyde told police DeWitt “smacked” her son in the face two times.

Youngstown prosecutors recommended that DeWitt be sentenced to one year of probation, be fined $100 and ordered to have no contact with the boy she taught in Youngstown City Schools as a special education teacher.

Instead, DiSalvo ordered the jail time, two years of probation and ordered DeWitt to continue with mental health counseling.

DeWitt uses a walker. She stood before the judge and said she would accept whatever sentence the judge gave her.

She said she’d worked on writing an apology letter to the child and his family, but: “There is no way to put on paper how disappointed I am in myself and how sorry I am that this has happened.”

Yarwood said DeWitt “gave up” her teaching license “even before she came in and pled (guilty) in this court.”

An Ohio Department of Education document obtained by The Vindicator states that DeWitt voluntarily and permanently surrendered her Ohio teaching certificates Feb. 3, 2020, will not participate in any further proceedings through the ODE and cannot ever again apply for an Ohio teaching certificate.

DeWitt told the judge: “I’ve removed myself from the possibility of ever harming a child in any way again because if I could lose my temper once, I could lose it more than once.”

‘DEVASTATED’

DeWitt was charged with assault, a first-degree misdemeanor, but pleaded guilty to negligent assault, a third-degree misdemeanor, Jan. 21.

“Here is a person who simply became completely overwhelmed, probably because of things in her personal life and at school. She had severe depression,” Yarwood said of what led to DeWitt assaulting the child.

“Financially I am devastated, and it’s my fault,” DeWitt said of losing her job after the incident. “My health has declined significantly in the last year and a half, and it’s my fault,” she said.

Yarwood said DeWitt had a stroke in the past year and has a “bag full of medications.” Despite having a master’s degree, she works part time, “trying to make ends meet,” he said.

Yarwood asked the judge not to give DeWitt jail time but acknowledged that might not seem like enough to some people.

“A lot of times people outside of the courtroom will say nothing happened to her. A lot already happened to her. She lost her career of 32 years and lost her income,” he said.

CONSIDERATIONS

DiSalvo said she has to consider a number of things when choosing a sentence, but the “overriding” ones are giving punishment to the offender and providing safety to the public.

“In this case, this was an autistic child,” she said. “This conduct alone without a child with special needs would have been detrimental,” she said. “But because of his situation, it made him more vulnerable to this event.”

“I have to consider the fact that you were in a position of trust, not only to the victim and the family but to the community,” the judge said.

DeWitt had no criminal history, has shown remorse, is a single woman and quit her job, DiSalvo said.

She could have sentenced DeWitt to as many as 90 days in jail.

erunyan@tribtoday.com