LOCAL : Mother Held in Teacher Assault

A 6-foot, 240-pound woman was jailed for grabbing her daughter’s 64-year-old kindergarten teacher by the throat and throwing her to the classroom floor, police said today.

Benita McCrae, 30, was being held on $10,000 bail on suspicion of assaulting a school official. Her daughter was turned over to the county Department of Children’s Services, Detective Gary Barthelmess said.

McCrae took her 5-year-old daughter Thursday morning to Toluca Lake Elementary School, where the child was newly enrolled. McCrae told the teacher that she wanted to spend the entire day in class with the child.

The teacher, Marjorie Swanter, said she would not allow an all-day visit but said the mother could stay for 20 minutes. An argument ensued and, Barthelmess said, McCrae “grabbed the . . . teacher by the throat and threw her to the ground.”