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Officer in Baltimore School Assault Acquitted

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BALTIMORE (AP) - A Baltimore school police officer accused of standing by while another officer was caught on video slapping a teen has been acquitted of charges.

News outlets report a jury on Wednesday found 53-year-old Saverna Bias not guilty of second-degree assault and misconduct in office.

Documents show a witness to the March 1 encounter said Bias told Officer Anthony Spence to hit the youth, and Spence then hit and kicked the teen. Spence said the student spat on him.

Spence entered an Alford plea Tuesday to an assault charge and resigned from the police force in exchange for probation.

Bias' attorney, Steve Levin, says his client was doing her job protecting the school and had nothing to do with Spence slapping the teen.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.