According to the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office, Thatcher, 36, and her boyfriend Michael Mize, 40, were arrested on Tuesday. Thatcher has been charged with misdemeanor child abuse and failure to report a crime against a juvenile. Mize is facing both misdemeanor and felony child abuse charges.
Arrest warrants allege that Thatcher allowed Mize to physically assault a child under 16. Mize allegedly spit on the child, physically restrained the child, and hit the child "on the side of the face with a closed fist."
Thatcher is an English teacher at Town Creek Middle School. District spokesperson Ben Strauss wrote in a statement Thursday night that the alleged incidents did not take place on school grounds and did not involve BCS students. Thatcher has also been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.
Thatcher has since bonded out. She's due to appear in court on December 19. Mize's bond has been set for $50,000, and as of Friday afternoon, he remains in custody.
Read the district's statement in full here.
