A Montgomery County judge this afternoon dismissed a misdemeanor charge brought against a former Falling Branch Elementary teacher’s aide accused of bruising a child in his care at the Christiansburg school.
 
Juvenile and Domestic Relations Judge Marc Long said Jesse Lamont Crutchfield of Blacksburg was just doing his job when he grabbed a 6-year-old by the arms May 14, causing what prosecutors called significant bruises.

Crutchfield had been charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
 
Crutchfield testified that he panicked because the boy ran from the gymnasium during physical education class. He said he regretted causing the bruises, “but at the same time I felt that the safety of this child was in danger.”

Crutchfield cried after the judge dismissed the charges. He had been facing  a maximum of 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine.

Crutchfield resigned from the school system after the allegations were made. He said God made everything right today.