The wife of Pittston Area Superintendent Kevin Booth on Tuesday withdrew a temporary protection-from-abuse order she filed against him over allegations that he came home drunk and beat her earlier in the fall.
Booth, 55, continues to face criminal assault charges stemming from the Oct. 5 incident in which he allegedly roughed up and choked Jessica Booth, who has since filed for divorce.
During a brief court appearance Tuesday, Jessica Booth told the court she wished to withdraw her temporary restraining order and that she did not have any concerns about her personal safety. She did not offer further explanation.
Luzerne County Judge Tarah C. Toohil granted her request and ordered the temporary order to be vacated.
Kevin Booth and his attorney, Kurt T. Lynott, declined to comment as they departed the Luzerne County Courthouse.
According to the charges against Kevin Booth, police responding to the family home around 9:15 p.m. Oct. 5 found Jessica Booth crying and saying her husband “kinda tossed me around a bit.”
Jessica Booth said she briefly wasn’t able to breathe when her husband choked her, leaving a tickle in her throat. She also reported she had injured her arms when she fell to the ground trying to kick her husband to get him to stop choking her, prosecutors said.
Police found Kevin Booth lying in his bed. He initially told police he had “no idea” what happened, but later denied hitting or choking his wife, according to prosecutors.
Booth was arrested on simple assault and harassment charges, and subsequently checked himself into inpatient rehabilitation for a month, according to court records.
The Pittston Area School District has refused to comment on Kevin Booth’s employment status, citing the confidentiality of personnel matters.
However, in the aftermath of Kevin Booth’s arrest, the district placed an anonymous employee on paid administrative leave pending further action by the board of education. Assistant Superintendent John Haas has been representing the district in Kevin Booth’s place during recent school board meetings.
According to court records, Jessica Booth filed for divorce against her husband on Oct. 27, alleging Kevin Booth’s conduct subjected her to indignities that have made her “condition intolerable and life burdensome.”
Kevin Booth, via Dunmore attorney Brian J. Cali, filed an answer to the divorce complaint denying those claims.
He remains free on $2,500 unsecured bail and is due back in court March 3 for a preliminary hearing on the criminal charges.