Summersville, Mo. superintendent charged with assaulting a student at a basketball game

SUMMERSVILLE, Mo. (KY3) - Summersville Superintendent Dr. Rick Stark has been charged after an incident with a student in December 2022.

Court documents show Stark is charged with fourth-degree assault.

A probable cause statement from the Summersville Police Department shows that on December 6, 2022, Summersville Police Chief David Garrett was on patrol at Summersville High School for a basketball game. During the game, a school resource officer approached Chief Garrett about an assault on a student.

The SRO showed Garrett security footage that showed Stark talking to a 17-year-old student. Security footage showed Stark making contact with both hands onto the student.

Chief Garrett spoke with the student, who stated Stark had made “hurtful remarks” against the student’s brother, who had died in a car accident in 2022. According to the probable cause statement, the student told the chief that Stark had followed him and some friends into the bathroom and that Stark was “being mean” and making statements that were “hurtful and offensive.”

The student said words were exchanged, and Stark got in the student’s face and shoved him, hurting the student’s chest. The student told Chief Garrett that he had left the school to avoid any other confrontation that night.

According to the PC statement, the chief followed up with Stark the next day. Stark stated he, ”would probably like to get an attorney,” and gave the chief a written statement of his recollection of the event.

Stark is scheduled to appear in court on January 24 at 9 a.m.

KY3 has reached out to the Summersville School District for comment and have not heard back at the time of publishing this story.

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