More than two years after being charged in connection with an abuse investigation at Horace Mann Middle School, the teacher in the special needs classroom where the incidents took place pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor. Anthony Wilson of Beckley pleaded guilty to battery in exchange for a misdemeanor assault charge being dropped. Walter Pannell, a former aide in the classroom, was sentenced to one year in jail and two years of probation following his guilty plea to four counts of misdemeanor battery in May 2022. In June 2022, James Lynch, also a former aide, was sentenced to two years in jail on two counts of battery. The victims were described as non-verbal with developmental disabilities.