ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) - John Grimes, who worked as the principal of Phoenix Magnet Elementary, has pleaded “not guilty” to a charge of “cruelty to juveniles.”

According to a police report, the investigation into Grimes began last September when a relative of a four-year-old pre-k student came forward with a complaint about an unauthorized corporal punishment paddling incident.

The report states that the relative observed two “hand-sized whelps” on the child’s bottom that were “turning black and blue.” Police observed the marks and captured them on body-cam.

RELATED: New information obtained in Phoenix Magnet principal’s arrest involving corporal punishment

This past April, a grand jury indicted Grimes on a count of “cruelty to juveniles.” He turned himself in. In May, the Rapides Parish School Board voted to eliminate corporal punishment, which had been in place since 1976.

Grimes is represented by George Higgins. The case is being represented by Christopher Bowman. A pre-trial is set for October 13.

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