A Republican Kansas state legislator has been arrested on three charges of misdemeanor battery after a stint as a substitute school teacher in which he kneed a male student in the groin after lecturing a class on God, lesbians, sex, masturbation and suicide.
According to the Kansas City Star, 36-year-old state representative Mark Samsel was teaching a high school class in Wellsville, a town of about 2,000 people about 45 miles southwest of Kansas City, two weeks ago. In one of a series of videos, Samsel goes on a rant about things he depicts as immoral. In another, he encourages students to kick a fellow classmate in the groin.
At some point off camera, Samsel himself knees a student in the groin. He was arrested and released on $1,000 bond, with an appearance scheduled for Wednesday morning in Franklin County District Court.
Republicans in the state legislature have taken no disciplinary actions against Samsel. “We are concerned by these new charges. The safety of our school children is one of our highest priorities. The judicial process must now be allowed to work to determine what happened here and if necessary, what penalties should be assessed,” Republican Speaker of the House Ron Ryckman said.