Lexington County teacher charged with assaulting student

Lexington, SC 01/29/2025 - A White Knoll High School teacher is accused of assaulting a student at the school.

Fritzie Suerto Refamonte, 45, is charged with third-degree assault and battery, according to an arrest warrant.

“When we became aware of this incident, we opened an investigation and determined Refamonte allegedly assaulted the student Jan. 14,” Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said. “She’s accused of taking the hands of a nonverbal student and using them to strike the student’s own face.”

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Refamonte said she told the student to “hit yourself, not the teacher” in an effort to let the student know what the student did was not good, according to the arrest warrant.

Koon said deputies talked to three witnesses as part of their investigation.

Deputies arrested Refamonte at her home Wednesday morning. She is being held in the Lexington County Detention Center.