Southwestern High School Teacher Arrested for Battery of a Student

Davis was arrested today without incident and transported to the Jefferson County Jail where she was incarcerated.

File Photo

(Hanover, Ind.) - Today, a teacher with Southwestern High School in Hanover, Indiana was arrested on charges of battery and neglect of a dependent following an investigation into an incident that occurred in December 2019.

The investigation by Indiana State Police Detective Joe Loyd began on December 17, 2019, when the Indiana State Police was notified of an incident that occurred between a teacher and student at Southwestern High School. 

The investigation determined that Catherine L. Davis, age 39, Madison, Indiana, who is a special needs teacher at the school, got in an altercation with a 14-year-old student on two separate occasions on December 16th. 

During the first incident, Davis head-butted the student during an altercation in the school cafeteria.  In the second incident later in the day, Davis pulled the same student onto the floor of the cafeteria after the food was spilled.

After the incidents were reported to the school administrators, the Indiana State Police was contacted to begin an investigation.  At the conclusion of the investigation, the case was submitted to the Jefferson County Prosecutor’s Office for review. 

As a result, a warrant was issued yesterday for Catherine Davis on two counts of battery and two counts of Neglect of a Dependent, all felonies.

Davis was arrested today without incident and transported to the Jefferson County Jail where she was incarcerated.

The Indiana State Police was assisted by the Indiana Child Advocacy Center in Madison, Indiana, Southwestern School Corporation, Indiana Department of Child Services, and the Jefferson County Prosecutor’s Office.

Catherine L. Davis

Photo Courtesy of Sgt. Stephen Wheels