SALYERSVILLE – The principal of North Magoffin Elementary was arrested after an altercation Monday evening.
On February 12, Magoffin County Sheriff Department deputies were dispatched to a home in Salyersville, with the caller advising police that NME Principal James Keith Isaac, 44, of Salyersville reportedly had strangled him/her, before he/she locked himself/herself in another room.
When police arrived at the home and knocked on the door, the victim met with them, giving law enforcement a brief rundown of what had occurred, according to the citation.
After talking to the victim, police found Isaac in the basement sitting on the coach on his cell phone, with a 45 caliber handgun, extra magazine, hunting knife and what appeared to be a Tanto Knife positioned on the couch next to him, according to the citation.
Law enforcement removed all the weapons and moved them to a location away from Isaac.
The victim had visible red marks on both sides of the neck, telling police they had an argument over feeding the dogs, according to the arrest report. The victim told police Keith slapped his/her phone out of his/her hand while he/she had been talking to a friend’s 3-year-old child on FaceTime, with Isaac grabbing the victim with both hands around the neck and began choking him/her.
According to the victim’s report to police, Isaac also went after the cat, with police noting in the citation the cat seemed to be in good condition.
The victim declined medical treatment and was advised on how to obtain an EPO.
When the deputies questioned Isaac, he told police an argument had been brewing for a long time.
Both the victim and Keith denied that the victim touched Isaac, but Isaac also denied putting hands on the victim, according to the police report.
Isaac was taken to the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center and charged with fourth-degree assault (minor injury) (a Class A misdemeanor) and first-degree strangulation (Class C felony). The potential penalty for a Class C felony is a prison sentence between five to 10 years and up to 12 months in jail for a Class A misdemeanor.
No court date has been set at press time in this case, but Isaac has been released on bond from jail.
Magoffin County Schools Superintendent Chris Meadows released the following statement on Tuesday: “We are aware of a domestic altercation involving an administrator in the school system that led to criminal charges being filed. The administrator has been suspended pending the outcome of the criminal proceedings.”
On Wednesday, North Magoffin Elementary sent out a One Call announcement stating Willie Cole has been named the interim principal for NME.
The Salyersville Independent maintains a policy of not including identifying information of victims in news coverage, so some information, such as the person’s pronouns, has been excluded from this article for their safety and anonymity.
Editor’s Note: The indictment or charge of a person by a grand jury or otherwise is an accusation only and that person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
