PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — On Oct. 20, the executive director of the Oregon Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission pled guilty in Marion County Circuit Court to a misdemeanor assault charge for physically injuring a child in January of 2022.
The Salem Reporter reports that 62-year-old Reginald Richardson assaulted the 8-year-old boy in Salem while the child was attending an after-school program that Richardson ran as a side business.
“[Richardson] did unlawfully and recklessly cause physical injury to [the victim],” Richardson’s indictment reads.
Richardson initially failed to appear for his arraignment in June, where he also faced a harassment charge that was later dismissed by prosecutors in exchange for his admission of guilt.
The Salem Reporter reports that Richardson committed the assault by grabbing the boy by the back of his neck and shoving him into a wall. The assault was reportedly committed as punishment after the child was allegedly disruptive during the afterschool program.
Richardson is still listed as the executive director of the Oregon Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission on the state’s website. KOIN 6 News reached out to the State of Oregon to learn if Richardson is still employed by the agency and is awaiting a response. The Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission is an independent state agency created by lawmakers to improve substance abuse prevention, treatment and recovery services in Oregon.
As part of the plea deal, Richardson was ordered to attend 12 counseling sessions with an emphasis in “anger management issues and alternative options for addressing challenging behavior from children,” according to court paperwork, in addition to being ordered to complete 100 hours of community service, abstain from contact with the victim or his brother and pay the victim’s family $1,000.
The Salem Reporter reports that Salem-Keizer School District leaders banned Richardson from its facilities after the reported assault and terminated his contract to run an academic support program for black students.