N.Y. Minister Charged With Assault After Allegedly Breaking Teacher's Jaw

Jet, March 22, 1999

A Roxbury, NY, minister recently was charged with assault after he allegedly broke the jaw of the math teacher who gave his daughter a poor grade in conduct.

Dale Robinson, 35, an associate minister of the Greater Love Tabernacle, was charged with assault for allegedly punching Antonio Centeio twice in the head. Robinson pleaded innocent to the charges before a district court judge. He was ordered held on $500 bail pending a court hearing.

Robinson allegedly had gotten angry when Centeio, who teaches math to juniors and seniors, had given Robinson's daughter a D minus in conduct and effort on her report card, the Boston Herald reported. Robinson went to the Jeremiah Burke High School to find out about the matter. When the math teacher and Robinson got into an argument, Centeio tried to walk away and was then allegedly attacked by the minister.

Steven Leonard, headmaster of the high school, told the newspaper, "[Robinson] chased the teacher down and punched him in the head twice. It started as a verbal argument and when the teacher tried to walk away, the parent started throwing punches."

Centeio was treated at Massachusetts General Hospital for a broken jaw. He was later discharged.

Leonard, who was not injured, said that he jumped between Robinson and Centeio to try to stop the fight. One school police officer, according to the newspaper, was injured in the struggle and was treated by the school nurse.

The 6-foot-8, 250-pound Robinson had a bit role in the 1996 movie Celtic Pride, where he played the starting center for the Utah Jazz in the movie.