A Kansas House member who was arrested after videos began circulating online of him arguing with teenage students and pushing one of them while he was working as a substitute teacher entered a not guilty plea Wednesday to three counts of misdemeanor battery.
Republican state Rep. Mark Samsel, who is free on bond, also was given three weeks to undergo a mental health evaluation. The next hearing was set for July 12.
The charges against Samsel arose from a student reporting an April 28 incident involving Samsel in what videos showed to be a noisy classroom in his hometown of Wellsville, a town of about 1,700 people roughly 55 miles (89 kilometers) southwest of Kansas City. The brief videos, provided by a parent who said they were shot by students, also showed Samsel talking about suicide, God and sex.
One video showed Samsel grabbing a boy, pushing him against a wall and telling him, “I could put the wrath of God on you right now,” before the boy breaks free and runs away, yelling.