Bellefonte school board member struck woman, pushed her out of car, police say
Editor’s note: This story was updated on April 4 after Bechdel resigned from the board.
A Bellefonte Area School District board member was arrested Wednesday after allegedly striking a woman in the face and shoving her out of a moving car.
Jack Bechdel, 58, was charged with one misdemeanor count of simple assault and one summary count of physical harassment. He was also cited for driving with a suspended license.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, the woman told State College police Bechdel began arguing with her about her drinking habits after he had driven her to the Sheetz along Shiloh Road in College Township. She told police Bechdel reached across the car, opened the passenger door while the vehicle was still in motion and shoved her out along the road.
The woman said “that her ankle had been run over after being shoved out of the vehicle” by Bechdel, the affidavit reads.
After Bechdel drove the woman home, she told police he struck her on the left side of her face with a backhanded, closed-fist swing because she would not get out of the vehicle. Bechdel then shoved her out of the car into her driveway and drove away, she said.
The woman reported injuries to her nose and foot and said she was run over by a vehicle. The officer saw “noticeable bruising and swelling” under her left eye and blood on her hands.
Police located Bechdel at Lowe’s in Patton Township, where his parked car was unattended. Inside the store, police said Bechdel admitted to striking the woman in the face “and described the strike exactly” as she did, according to the affidavit. Bechdel claimed he struck the woman only because she struck him first on the right side of his face and mouth while driving, police said.
The officer wrote he did not observe visible injuries to the face of Bechdel, who said his front tooth was knocked loose by the woman. The officer observed a loose tooth at the front of Bechdel’s mouth but noted most of his teeth were already rotted or missing.
Bechdel was arraigned Thursday morning by District Judge Allen Sinclair and later released on $10,000 unsecured bail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 9.
Bechdel, who resigned from the board Friday evening, won election to the Bellefonte school board in 2021 and was in the final year of his term. He is one of five candidates who filed to run for election to the board this year.
Jon Guizar, the Bellefonte school board president, said Thursday that Bechdel informed the board of “a personal matter involving law enforcement” and planned to take time to “reflect on the matter.”
“While the allegations against Mr. Bechdel are of great concern to the Board, I can report that he has submitted his resignation to the Board of Directors,” Guizar wrote in an email Friday evening.
Bechdel’s name will remain on the May primary ballot, as the deadline to withdraw (March 26) has passed. He told the Centre Daily Times he “highly doubts” he would win in the primary but would have until August to decide whether to withdraw from November’s ballot.
This story was originally published April 3, 2025 at 8:47 PM.
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