SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. — The aggravated assault charge against John Mark Wade was dismissed following a preliminary hearing on Aug. 12, according to the Sessions Court Clerk in Sevier County.
A special judge was assigned to hear the case, Judge Lane Wolfenbarger out of Grainger County.
Wade was facing an aggravated assault charge for a May 2 incident in which he allegedly threatened a motorist with a pistol.
Superintendent Jack Parton suspended the music teacher without pay in a letter dated May 2, but said the school system would revisit any consequences once the case was resolved.
"I will revisit what punitive steps, if any, will be taken by Sevier County Schools in relation to your alleged off-campus behavior," Parton wrote in the letter.
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In a statement, Debra Ann Cline, Assistant Superintendent of Sevier County Schools, said:
With Mr. Wade being exonerated of all criminal wrongdoing, and with Mr. Wade's exemplary history as an educator in Sevier County, the Sevier County School System has determined to reinstate Mr. Wade.
The Sevier County School System believes that Mr. Wade has learned from this situation, and that he can return to his role as an effective faculty member at Catons Chapel Elementary and Pittman Center Elementary.
Mr. Wade will return to his teaching assignment on August 15, 2019.