Kansas state Rep. Mark Samsel pleaded not guilty to three counts of misdemeanor battery Wednesday in Franklin County District Court, where a judge ordered the lawmaker to undergo a mental health evaluation.
It was Samsel's first court appearance since his arrest last month, which followed an incident while he was substitute teaching at Wellsville High School in Wellsville, Kansas. Students recorded videos of Samsel lecturing them about God, suicide, sex and masturbation. Parents have accused him of kneeing one male student in the crotch.
Franklin County prosecutors charged the Wellsville Republican on Monday with three counts of misdemeanor battery against two teenagers, both approximately 16 years old. After his arrest, Samsel was released on $1,000 bond.
During the hearing Wednesday morning, Franklin County Attorney Brandon Jones requested additional bond conditions, which include requirements that Samsel have no contact with alleged victims, plus possess no firearms, alcohol or drugs. He is not allowed to have unsupervised contact with children.
Magistrate Judge Kevin Kimball also ordered Samsel to obtain a mental health evaluation within the next three weeks as part of the conditions. Samsel and his attorney, Chris Scott, did not object to the evaluation.
Samsel said very little during the hearing, which was conducted via Zoom. He and Scott, wearing masks, stood next to each other in a courtroom while Jones appeared via video from a separate room.
"Judge, at this point we'd enter a not guilty plea," Scott said.
Samsel's next court hearing was scheduled for July 12. He faces up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine per charge.
The charges stem from a bizarre day of Samsel substitute teaching at the high school in Wellsville, a town roughly 20 miles southwest of Olathe. Videos provided to The Kansas City Star — by parents of students in the class — show his classroom in chaos as he talked about religion and suicide.
Videos captured Samsel telling students about a teenager who was suicidal because "he has two parents and they're both females."
In another video, Samsel is recorded telling students off camera, "make babies. Who likes making babies? That feels good, doesn't it? Procreate. ... You haven't masturbated? Don't answer that question. ... God already knows."
Other videos show Samsel focusing most of his attention on one male student.
At one point, Samsel tells the student, "You're about ready to anger me and get the wrath of God. Do you believe me when I tell you that God has been speaking to me?" He then pushes him, and the student runs to the other side of the classroom, yelling.
Parents told the Star that Samsel "put hands on the student" and allegedly kneed him in the groin, although that alleged incident was not shown on videos reviewed by the Star. In a video apparently taken immediately after the incident, the student is shown on the ground. Samsel is standing over him, as students laugh, and says, "Did it hurt?"
In a Snapchat post previously shared with the Star, Samsel wrote that "it was all planned."
"Every little bit of it. That's right. The kids and I planned ALL this to SEND A MESSAGE about art, mental health, teenage suicide, how we treat our educators and one another. To who? Parents. And grandparents. And all of Wellsville," he posted.
But several parents have denied that. A few have told the Star that their children who were in the class were surprised by Samsel's actions that day.
Since his arrest, Kansas lawmakers have expressed shock over the situation and called the allegations out of character for Samsel.
In a statement Monday Speaker of the House Ron Ryckman, an Olathe Republican, reiterated previous calls to let the legal process play out.
"We are concerned by these new charges. The safety of our school children is one of our highest priorities. The judicial process must now be allowed to work to determine what happened here and if necessary, what penalties should be assessed," Ryckman said.
Wellsville Superintendent Ryan Bradbury previously said that Samsel will no longer be allowed to work for the district. The school board also decided to ban him from all Wellsville school buildings and events for the next year.
In a Facebook post Saturday, Samsel called the ban "discrimination."
"Fortunately, I know a good lawyer," he wrote.
