Man believed to be longest-serving principal in US hospitalized after attack

CHALMETTE, La. (WVUE/Gray News) - A man thought to be the longest-serving principal in the country is in the hospital recovering from surgery after a Sunday night attack.

Wayne Warner, who has been the principal at Chalmette High School for more than 50 years, was arriving at his apartment when he was attacked, deputies said.

The suspect, identified as 33-year-old Christopher Kidd, was reportedly pushing over trash cans when Warner, 79, asked what he was doing. Deputies said Kidd then pushed Warner onto the concrete and stole his phone.

“Mr. Warner is a great man and known to help people,” Sheriff James Pohlmann said. “That’s why he stopped, and that’s why he got out of the vehicle to help this young man. He probably thought this guy was having some type of issue and was trying to help, probably didn’t expect for the violence to turn on him the way that it did.”

Wayne Warner’s wife Kitty Warner posted on social media that her husband got surgery Tuesday to repair a fractured hip and elbow, and is “going to require months of rehab.”

“They did the elbow first,” Kitty Warner wrote in her update post. “They put a plate and some screws in his elbow. The hip did not have to be replaced. They used screws and pins to fix the hip.

“The doctor said they are planning on getting him up (Wednesday). I can’t imagine trying to walk after what he’s been through, but we’ll see.”

Kitty Warner expressed gratitude for the outpouring of concern for her husband, who is a beloved figure in St. Bernard Parish.

“Thank everyone so much for caring about Wayne. He truly is one of the good guys,” she wrote.

Kidd was arrested for the attack and booked for simple battery, second-degree robbery, simple battery of the infirmed and battery on a police officer, authorities said.

Pohlmann said Kidd was a former student at Chalmette High. He was located after deputies received a call about a shoplifting incident at a nearby grocery store.

“It was Mr. Kidd on the scene and he was identified as the one shoplifting some over-the-counter medication,” Pohlmann said.

Kidd reportedly fought deputies before he was taken out of his wheelchair, stunned with a stun gun and apprehended. He will be evaluated by medical staff to determine if he needs mental health support or rehabilitation.

A man and woman who said they contacted 911 after hearing Warner calling for help said they found him about five minutes after the attack and said he was coherent. They didn’t want to be identified.

Warner has been principal at Chalmette High since 1973. He began teaching at the school in 1966.

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