Bellefonte school board member resigns following arrest on assault charge
A Bellefonte Area School District board member resigned two days after police arrested him for allegedly assaulting a woman in College Township.
Jack Bechdel, 58, tendered his resignation from the board Friday evening. He was charged this week with one misdemeanor account of simple assault and one summary count of physical harassment.
“My actions has [sic] drawn a spotlight on the board that is not warranted,” Bechdel wrote in an emailed statement. “As long as I am on the board during this period, the public will question every detail of every decision made. I am proud of my work on the board and the relationships that developed over the years. For the board to continue its course unfettered, I must step down as director.”
“This decision was not taken lightly, and I dread that things had to end this way,” Bechdel continued. “I wish the board the best and hope that they continue to have civil discussion in the future.”
According to an affidavit of probable cause, the woman told State College police Bechdel began arguing with her about her drinking habits after he drove her to the Sheetz along Shiloh Road in College Township. She said Bechdel reached across the car, opened the passenger door while the vehicle was still moving and shoved her out along the road.
After Bechdel drove the woman home, he struck her on the left side of her face with a backhanded, closed-fist swing because she would not get out of the car, she told police. 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 Bechdel’s vehicle. According to the affidavit, the officer saw “noticeable bruising and swelling” under her left eye and blood on her hands.
Police, who located Bechdel at the Lowe’s in Patton Township, said he 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.
The officer did not observe visible injuries to the face of Bechdel, who said the woman knocked his front tooth loose. The officer observed a loose tooth at the front of Bechdel’s mouth but wrote most of his teeth were already rotted or missing.
Bechdel declined to comment on the arrest Thursday when reached by the CDT via email.
He 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 won election to the Bellefonte school board in 2021 and was in the final year of his term before his resignation. He was 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 4, 2025 at 7:58 PM.
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