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A video dating back to Aug. 22 landed a Claiborne School Board member in jail. Shane Bunch, 57, spent last evening in a cell before being released this morning on his own recognizance. Bunch, a longtime Dist. 1 member of the board, was accused by his juvenile son of several instances of abuse.

Claiborne Sheriff’s Sgt. Shawn Noah was reportedly approached by Bunch, his wife and the juvenile on Jan. 9. During a conversation, the son broached what he alleges as the latest incident which he said occurred just prior to meeting with the officer.

According to the citation, the latest episode involved the boy being pushed to the ground by his father, then lifted up and pulled across the center console of a vehicle and to the ground. Bunch then allegedly picked his son back up and forced him against the truck.

During the conversation with the officer, the boy showed a video taken during an altercation between Bunch and his son in what appeared to be an assault of the juvenile as he was forced from a bar stool to the ground. The boy was then struck four times – once in the head and another three times to the body.

The video shows the juvenile maintaining a defensive pose but not attempting to fight back.

The boy claims these types of instances have occurred several times.

Bunch reportedly told Sgt. Noah that his actions were not abuse. Rather, they were the actions of a parent who deals with a disrespectful son, according to the citation.

After viewing the Aug. 22 video, Sgt. Noah determined the incident was excessive. Bunch was arrested and booked into the Claiborne County Jail shortly after 8 p.m. on Jan. 9 and charged with one count of domestic assault and two counts of child abuse.

Bunch’s term on the Claiborne School Board expires in August 2024.