CHRISTIANSBURG -- A Montgomery County judge on Thursday dismissed a misdemeanor charge against a former Falling Branch Elementary teacher's aide accused of bruising a child in his care last spring.

Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court Judge Marc Long said Jesse Lamont Crutchfield of Blacksburg was just doing his job when he grabbed a 6-year-old by the arms on May 14, causing what prosecutors called "significant bruises." Crutchfield had been charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Crutchfield testified he panicked when the boy ran from the gymnasium during physical education class. Witnesses said Crutchfield grabbed the boy's arm in the gym, and Crutchfield said a "scuffle" in the hallway could have led to more bruising.

Crutchfield said the boy refused to cooperate with him and, because of that, he attempted to lead the boy to the office. At one point, the pair nearly fell down, and Crutchfield testified he grabbed the boy's arms again.

Crutchfield said he regretted causing bruises, "but at the same time I felt that the safety of this child was in danger."

A hallway adjacent to the school's gymnasium leads to a parking lot, and the school is near busy U.S 460.

The judge said the case was difficult because witnesses characterized the boy as sometimes "rambunctious," and that there was a "fine line" to tread between using force to restrain a child and injuring him. Long said it did appear that Crutchfield grabbed the boy's arm too hard but that there was not enough evidence to convict him of the charge.

The boy was not in the courtroom Thursday.

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

Montgomery County school officials said Crutchfield resigned after the incident happened. After the hearing, Crutchfield said God made everything right on Thursday.

Debra Long, the boy's grandmother and legal guardian and no relation to the judge, said she was disappointed and angered by the judge's ruling and she plans to hire a lawyer to continue pursuing the case.

She said the incident has traumatized the boy and that he is afraid of all male teachers.

In recent days, she said Daniel has asked whether Crutchfield would get out and hurt him again.

"I just wish I didn't live here anymore," she said.

The boy returned to Falling Branch Elementary this fall but was put on homebound education in the past three weeks. That means the school system will send him a teacher. Long said he had not been given an instructor yet.