Florida man charged after body slamming female colleague
Published 7:15 am Saturday, February 21, 2015
After seriously injuring a colleague during a pick-up basketball game, a Florida teacher has been charged with aggravated battery, police reported.
Travis Mims, 27, of Ormond Beach, Florida was arrested by police officials after body slamming fellow Holly Hill Elementary School staff member, Katherine Martin, 33, to the ground on her head, resulting in what officials have reported as “serious and permanent” injury.
According to officials, Martin reported that during the game, Mims continually fouled her and was becoming increasingly aggressive. The two teachers had a brief verbal confrontation as they moved across the school’s basketball court and continued playing the game.
Shortly after, when Martin pushed away from Mims to receive a pass, Mims grabbed her, lifted her off the floor and slammed her into the court.
“That’s above and beyond,” Holly Hill Police Chief Stephen Aldrich said in a report by area news affiliate WKMG. “He picks her up, and he just turns her over and drops her on the floor from probably 5 (or) 6 feet in the air. So she hit real hard.”
Mims, who according to official documents stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 260 pounds, was escorted away from the basketball court area.
“In our view, it was intentional,” Aldrich said. “There’s certain things you don’t do even when you’re playing ball.”
While witnesses attempted to assist Martin and contact emergency services on her behalf, Martin left the game under her own power to seek medical treatment, driving herself to a nearby hospital. Martin was later confirmed to have sustained a head injury, a cracked rib, and substantial injuries to her feet and toes as a result of the incident.
Surveillance video footage of the instance, which has since gone viral, was made available to the Holly Hill Police department by the school’s principal, visually corroborating eyewitness reports of what happened between Martin and Mims during the game.
Since his arrest Wednesday evening, Mims has apologized for his actions, but has provided no concrete detail or reasoning regarding the incident. Following treatment, Martin is said to be “OK, but sore” according to reports. Mims no longer works for Holly Hills Elementary School and is being held on $2,500 bond.