BY STEVEN ANDREWS

A 17-year-old student was attacked by his 15-year -old girlfriend’s father at John Stark High School as school let out after the man learned the pair had sex earlier in the day, according to police.

The Monday, Sept. 10, incident left the boy bruised and in need of stitches, while the father, from Weare, was charged with simple assault, a Class B felony.

The boy may soon face more punishment, as Deputy Chief of Police William Quigley said there is a “pretty good” chance he will face charges of sexual assault.

Since he is less than three years older than the girl, the charge will be a misdemeanor. It is not known whether he will be charged as a minor or adult.

According to Principal Michael Turmelle, the boy, who lives in Henniker, had permission to be out of school that day. When administrators noticed the girl was not at school, her parents were immediately notified.

The students met at one of the parents’ homes and had sex, police said. When confronted by her parents, the girl, who is underage, told them about the sexual encounter.

This led the father to the schoolyard confrontation, attacking the boy at about 1:30 p.m.

The attack only lasted about a minute, according to police, until school resource officer William Duffy was alerted by several students who witnessed the incident.

“We’re in lockdown all day long, there’s only one way into the school,” said Turmelle. “But at dismissal there’s a couple hundred parents picking up kids, I don’t think there’s anything anyone could do to prevent this.”

Police said the man was very cooperative when detained, and did not deny the attack. They also said they were unaware of any previous arrests or violence on his record.

His name has not been released, since it would make identifying his daughter easier, according to police.

Turmelle said that neither student has a history of unexcused absences, but the girl faces an in-school Saturday
suspension.