Marsh Valley school superintendent attacked by man with baseball bat

ARIMO (IdahoEdNews) — A man reportedly attacked Marsh Valley Superintendent Marvin Hansen with a baseball bat outside the district office on Tuesday.

Bannock County authorities charged David Battson, 50, with aggravated battery following his arrest at the district’s main office in Arimo, county jail records show. Scott Ames, a captain at the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office, confirmed Wednesday that Battson’s arrest involved an alleged attack on Hansen.

Portneuf Medical Center public relations director Mary Keating told EdNews Wednesday morning that Hansen was in stable condition.

Ames told EdNews Wednesday that witnesses reported a confrontation between Battson and Hansen outside the district office at around 11 a.m. Tuesday. Battson reportedly struck Hansen with the bat before the superintendent retreated into the district office. Battson broke exterior windows in an attempt to reach Hansen, Ames said.

Police arrested Battson at the scene, where an ambulance was dispatched.

Tuesday’s incident followed Hansen’s announcement that he would resign as superintendent after trustees punished him for misusing a district car and a cell phone.

Hansen’s announcement also followed a former employee’s complaint that the superintendent sexually harassed her years ago. A board-sponsored investigation found Hansen had a consensual sexual relationship with the former employee, but trustees cleared him of allegations of sexual harassment.

Kevin Fonnesbeck, who chairs Marsh Valley’s school board, did not respond to a request for comment about Tuesday’s incident.

Marsh Valley’s district office is in Arimo, some 40 miles south of Pocatello.

This story was originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on June 24, 2020.