After punching a girl in the face Tuesday, a UF professor was arrested and placed on administrative leave, Gainesville Police and a UF spokesperson confirmed.
Joseph Steven Jackson
Joseph Steven Jackson, a 59-year-old professor in the UF Levin College of Law, was arrested at about 8 p.m. Tuesday after an argument with the teenage girl turned violent, according to a police report.
Jackson swung at the girl three times. With his second swing, she backed away, making the strike a glancing blow. The girl then ran away with no apparent injuries, according to the report.
Police arrested Jackson on a charge of child abuse. Authorities took him to the Alachua County Jail, where he was released Wednesday afternoon on his own recognizance.
Jackson’s UF biography states that he serves as the associate director of the Center on Children and Families at the Levin College of Law.
He declined to comment for this article.
UF spokesperson Janine Sikes said Jackson was placed on administrative leave and that arrangements will be made to cover his ongoing classes.
She said Jackson teaches courses in legal writing, appellate advocacy, equal protection and U.S. constitutional law.
Jackson, an alumnus of the law school, joined the faculty in 1995, she said.
Sikes said she was unsure if Jackson will face further disciplinary measures from UF.
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