A grand jury in Washington County indicted a Greenville High School teacher who was caught on camera in September pulling a student with special needs by the hair. Linda Winters Johnson has been indicted on the charge of abuse of a vulnerable individual. This carries a one-year sentence and/or a maximum $1,000 fine. According to a press release by Dewayne Richardson, “After an extensive investigation by the Greenville Police Department,” investigators handed over their findings about what happened at the Greenville High School Gymnasium on Sept. 21, 2016. Winters Johnson was not reached. Richardson stated that it is not a common practice for the District Attorney’s Office of to comment on criminal cases pending. “However the District Attorney’s Office felt that it was best to keep the communities apprised about the status of this case.” He refused to give any further details to Mississippi Today. A Greenville parent uploaded a video on Oct. 6 showing Winters Johnson pulling a special needs student with her hair across the gymnasium floor. Another student from the school took the video and it went viral. It gained millions of views in just a few days. Kesha Williams posted the video to her Facebook page on Thursday. She said that she did it because she has a special-needs child at the school and would prefer another parent to do so if it happened to her child. After the video was released, Winters Johnson was fired and Greenville’s superintendent was placed on an administrative leave with pay while she investigates. Mississippi Department of Education also wants to suspend or revoke her educator license. Jody Owens (managing attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center, Mississippi) stated that violent acts such as those shown in the video “contribute a negative school climate and normalize violence, and promote fear, anxiety among students, staff, and students.” This announcement came a day before Greenville Superintendent Leeson will appear before school board members to discuss his handling of the matter. School board members have asked Taylor if he reported the incident within the required time and according to the policy of the state education department. Winters Johnson is due to be arraigned on December 13. To support this work, make a regular donation to celebrate our Spring Member Drive. This will allow us to continue important work such as this story. Our reporters give a human face to policy’s impact on everyday Mississippians by listening more closely and understanding their communities. To ensure that our work is aligned with the priorities and needs of all Mississippians, we are listening to you. Click the button below to let us know what you think.