According to the Houston County Sheriff's Office, a teacher at Warner Robins Middle School in the state of Georgia, Benjamin Reese, threatened to behead a student after she asked why he had an Israeli flag in class at this time.

The 7th-grade social studies teacher was arrested on December 8 after several witnesses claimed they overheard him shouting "You motherf*****g piece of s**t! I'll kick your a**. I should cut your motherf*****g head off" on Friday.

The incident report states that around 3:30 p.m. on December 7, a deputy on duty was informed that a child's life was threatened by the teacher in the 7th-grade technical hallway.

A student wanted to talk to Reese about the Israeli flag in his classroom because she found it offensive, after which Reese asked her if it had to do with Judaism. She responded by saying that she merely wanted to know why it was hanging there, and he told her he was Jewish and had family who still lived in "Israel".

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The unnamed student said it was offensive "due to Israelis killing Palestinians", but Reese called her antisemitic.

Many witnesses claim they heard Reese say, "he would kick her f*****g a**, slit her god***n throat and drag her a** outside and cut her head off."  

One faculty member said Reese stated, "You don't make an antisemitic comment like that to a Jew", adding that students left the classroom, but Reese followed them in the hallway.

The witness continued that Reese went back into the classroom, cursing very loudly and yelling that he "should not be spoken to like that because he is a Jew." 

"I will drag her a** into the parking lot, slit her f*****g throat and kill her", he was cited as yelling.

Pleading the fifth

It was apparent that Reese's comments were allegedly true after witnesses including teachers, staff members, and students who were in class were interviewed by a deputy. 

The deputy reviewed footage from the hallway of the incident, and although there was no sound, Reese was seen yelling and heading back into his classroom. 

The principal, Brett Wallace, was then informed and the deputy spoke to Reese in the classroom with Wallace present. The principal asked the teacher if students were threatened and the report stated that Reese was defensive and denied speaking to anyone.

Reese then told Wallace what happened and argued that he did not blurt out anything racist and just spoke to a teacher about it. The report notes that Reese was angry and "kicked the door stopper in an aggressive manner."

Reese then asked if the deputy was questioning him as an SRO (School Resource Officer), or as an officer, to which the deputy responded as both and Reese remained silent and invoked his civil rights. 

The teacher's bond has been set at $2,500 by a judge for a terrorist threat charge, and $5,000 for cruelty to children. Reese has been bailed out.

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Houston County Schools issued this statement after being contacted by state media for comment: "All employees of the Houston County School District are required to follow the Code of Ethics for Educators. If there is a violation or accusation of a violation, we investigate and respond appropriately."

"While we are not able to discuss specific personnel matters, we can share that Mr. Reese has not been on the campus of Warner Robins Middle School since December 7, 2023. Safety and the well-being of our students and staff is our number one priority."