Crime & Safety

Jonathan Law Teacher Accused of Choking a Student (updated 5 p.m.)

Law teacher accused of restraining a student by the neck.

Milford police say a 32-year-old Jonathan Law High School teacher is accused of restraining a student by the neck during a class at the school in February. 

On February 24, police received a complaint regarding an incident between a teacher and a student at the high school, police said. 

Investigation led to an arrest warrant being issued for Mark Ruzbarsky, 32, of Welles Drive. He was charged with third-degree assault and was released on a promise to appear in Superior Court, Milford on July 29. 

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Superintendent of Schools Elizabeth Feser said in an email to Milford Patch that Ruzbarsky remains an active teacher for the school system. 

"It is not our practice to discuss personnel information, however, the situation was dealt with appropriately from an employment standpoint back when it was first brought to our attention," Feser wrote in an email. 

Find out what's happening in Milfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Milford Mirror reported that the arrest warrant states the victim student arrived late for school that day and was chatting and not focusing on his work. 

Ruzbarsky told police he put his hands on the victim's shoulder and admitted he placed his left arm around the juvenile's neck, the Mirror reports. 

The student appeared to act like he was knocked out and then smiled at the teacher, the Mirror reports. 

But the juvenile told police a different story. He said the teacher squeezed his neck and pushed his head down and he thought he was going to pass out, the Milford Mirror reports. 

WFSB 3 television spoke with Ruzbarsky's attorney, William B. Westcott, who said his client simply placed his hands on a student's shoulder to redirect the pupil on his classwork. 

"Mr. Ruzbarsky was attempting to be boisterous and brotherly in his approach," Westcott told WFSB 3. "He was not angry with the student for any reason, nor was he meaning to discipline the student in any way."

Westcott also told WFSB 3 that his client returned to work quickly after the incident. 



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