Mom Says Judge Assaulted Her Son

A Daviess County, Kentucky District Judge is defending his actions against a high school student. Judge David Payne is accused of assault. He says he did grab a teen by the shirt--but only in self defense. Judge Payne says he’s seen all kinds of behavior, but says the actions by a teenager at Daviess County High School Saturday night caught him off guard. Some of the events were caught on surveillance video. According to Payne, he was in the school parking lot--when the teenager threw a bottle at his car. Payne says he then tossed the bottle back and asked the student to throw it away. The judge says the teenager, who was with his mother, indicated he wanted to fight. So Payne grabbed him by the shirt and took him inside the school to the principal. But it didnt end there, the teens mother, Karen Sprankle contacted police saying her son had been assaulted. But Judge Payne say it was self-defense. Police reviewed the video and found no evidence of assault. We attempted to contact the teens parents but received no response. Payne says it unfortunate the incident happened, but doesnt regret his actions. We talked with Karen Sprankle by phone. She said she had no comment.