CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio -- A special needs teacher at Maple Heights High School and former candidate for the Ohio House is accused of punching a woman through a car window.
Dennis Robart Jr., 35, of Cuyahoga Falls, is charged with second-degree felonious assault and criminal damaging. His bond was set at $20,000 and he was ordered to have no contact with the woman. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Thursday in Stow Municipal Court.
Robart ran for the Ohio House's 42nd District in 2008 but lost in the Republican primary election.
Robart punched the 33-year-old woman in the eye about 9:40 p.m. Aug. 1, police said. He shattered the glass window as she sat in friend's SUV on the street outside Robart's home in the 2800 block of 12th Street.
The woman was moving out of Robart's home at the time, police reports say.
The woman suffered facial fractures and needed several stitches to repair the damage from the punch, according to court records.
Robart was hired to be a special needs teacher at Maple Heights High School and scheduled to start at the beginning of the school year. Maple Heights superintendent Charlie Keenan said Robart was placed on unpaid suspension after his arrest.
Robart also worked as a long-term substitute teacher in Maple Heights last school year, Keenan said. He previously worked in Green schools as a special needs teacher and football coach.