BOISE, Idaho – Nampa Christian High School custodian James Kopp has been put on administrative leave following battery and attempted kidnapping charges.
http://liarcatchers.com/background_checks.html
Boise Police say a woman was crossing the street near 13th and Main Street early Saturday morning when the 57-year-old Kopp got out of his vehicle and punched her in the head – knocking her to the ground.
Kopp was arrested later that night on I-84. Police say he was speeding and he appeared to be intoxicated.
Court records show this isn’t his first brush with the law, however.
But the school’s principal says, despite their background check, the man’s prior convictions didn’t show up.
Prosecutors say Kopp, a janitor at Nampa Christian High School for the past six years, was convicted in California years ago of battery with serious bodily harm, false imprisonment, and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
An Idaho law passed three years ago requires all public school employees who come in contact with students to go through a criminal background check.
A previous felony is grounds to not hire the applicant.
It’s up to each school district to decide whether to hire someone convicted of a crime.
But that law doesn’t apply to private schools in Idaho.
Although Nampa Christian High School isn’t required to conduct background checks, Principal Kevin Rex tells KBOI-TV they do it anyway.
And in this case, he says Kopp’s California convictions didn’t show up.
Rex says the school takes this very seriously and put Kopp on administrative leave right after this weekend’s arrest.
The school issued this statement:
“NCS is conducting its own review of this situation and will follow protocol and any future recommendations regarding this matter.”
KBOI 2 News will continue to investigate why Kopp’s previous record was not found on a background check.
