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BARRE, Vt. (AP) — A former school superintendent is suing the Vermont State Police officer who investigated allegations that she failed to report inappropriate touching of a student by a teacher in Danville.
Martha Tucker of East Montpelier was superintendent of the Caledonia Central Supervisory Union from 2008 until she resigned in June.
In April 2013, a Danville High School student reported a teacher had touched her buttocks on two occasions.
Then-State Police Detective Lyle Decker, now a sergeant in the Bradford barracks, investigated and ended up citing Tucker for failing to report the alleged abuse.
The charge was later dropped, but now Tucker is suing Decker, saying he lied in a sworn statement and a press release about the case.
Decker did not immediately reply Thursday to a request for comment.
The Barre-Montpelier Times Argus reports (http://bit.ly/1koJya2 ) that the lawsuit says the "negative publicity" about the case meant Tucker was unable to do her job and found she needed to resign.
The suit says she later applied for a superintendent's job elsewhere, but was rejected because of "the stigma associated with the criminal charges initiated by Decker."
She also maintains Decker "blatantly mischaracterized information from witnesses in his affidavit."
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