An elementary school principal in Montgomery County is accused of stomping on a student’s foot and is facing a related second-degree assault charge, according to court records.

Andrew Winter, who was then the principal at Ritchie Park Elementary School in Montgomery County, surrendered to law enforcement on June 3, according to the Rockville City Police Department. The alleged incident happened on Feb. 9, 2024.

According to the charging documents, Winter was seen on video grabbing a student by their clothing and sitting them down on a bench during school lunch. Then, Winter looked down at the student and “stomped” on the student’s right foot, which caused them “to immediately start weeping.”

The student continued to cry, and “Winter sat down on the bench next to the victim and put his arm around the victim’s shoulder,” according to charging documents.

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Two students who saw the assault told their teacher, who then told an assistant principal, according to the charging documents.

Winter is not listed on the Ritchie Park Elementary School website. According to the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, he was listed as the principal as recently as Feb. 23.

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School officials said in a letter sent to families on Monday that Winter is “on leave,” but declined to release other details, saying it was a personnel issue. Winter “will not be returning” and the school system will begin searching for a new principal.

He’s charged in District Court and faces a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $2,500.

Winter was released on an unsecured personal bond of $1,500, according to court records. He’s been ordered to not go near Richie Park Elementary School and to not contact the student in the case. He has a trial scheduled for July but did not yet have an attorney listed in online court records.

Montgomery County Public Schools officials did not respond to a request for comment. The Montgomery County Association of Administrators and Principals, the union that represents administrators and supervisors, also did not respond to a request for comment.