The Wisconsin father who went viral when he stormed the stage at his daughter’s high school graduation to stop her superintendent from shaking her hand has revealed the reason he intervened.
Matt Eddy, 49, interrupted the Baraboo High School ceremony in front of his aggrieved daughter in what police said was a “pre-planned” episode as she was about to receive her diploma Friday.
As she pushed through a line of school officials and shook hands, Eddy grabbed Superintendent Rainey Briggs by the arm and shouted, “That’s my daughter. I don’t want her to touch him.’
From a police report from that evening obtained by WMTVEddy told police he “had problems with Rainey in the past and dislikes him” as he was charged with disorderly conduct.
Eddy also told police he “wanted to prevent Rainey from having the satisfaction of shaking his child’s hand.”
“So he went on stage to prevent that from happening,” the police report said.
As his daughter pushed through a line of school officials and shook hands, Matt Eddy grabbed Superintendent Rainey Briggs by the arm and pushed him aside (far left)
Eddy told police that he had “had problems with Rainey in the past and hated him” and “wanted to prevent Rainey from having the satisfaction of shaking his child’s hand.”
Chief Inspector Briggs told police he did not know who the man was at the time.
He said he was aware of an instance where Eddy’s daughter had been punished by the school, but that he had nothing to do with it, insisting he has “no idea why Eddy acted the way he did.”
It comes after Chief Inspector Briggs took out a restraining order against Eddy over the incident.
In his restraining order, Briggs stated that Eddy said he is “not going to touch my (expletive) daughter.” Wisconsin News reports.
He added that he was “creating space” and told Eddy to get away from him.
Dane County Circuit Court Commissioner J. Alberto Quiroga has since temporarily ordered Eddy to have no contact with Briggs until a hearing on June 14.
Baraboo School District spokesperson Hailey Wagner also confirmed this Time magazine that Rainey has since filed a restraining order against him.
“The Baraboo School District is taking this incident very seriously and is working closely with local law enforcement to ensure a thorough investigation,” Wagner said.
“Our primary focus remains celebrating the achievements of our graduates.
“We want to ensure that the significance of this milestone and the hard work of our students is not overshadowed by this unfortunate event.”
It follows a dispute between a group of residents and Briggs and the school board.
A group of residents are currently trying to recall school board chairman Kevin Vodak, who was at the graduation ceremony.
Vodak has been accused of favoritism and providing inadequate pay and support to teachers.
Briggs has come under fire over his salary and that of other directors, while the contracts awarded to his consultancy firms have also come under scrutiny.
Critics also pointed to high staff turnover during his tenure and student behavioral problems.
The school district said in a statement: “Our primary focus remains celebrating the achievements of our graduates.
“We want to ensure that the significance of this milestone and the hard work of our students is not overshadowed by this unfortunate event.”
The district added that they are cooperating with law enforcement.
“We want to emphasize that the safety and well-being of our students, staff and community members is a top priority…The Baraboo School District is taking this incident very seriously.”
Police escorted Eddy out of the building after the confrontation and arrested him for disorderly conduct
The school board also released a statement commenting on Eddy.
“No employee of the Baraboo School District should fear for his physical safety while performing his duties or at any other time,” the school board said.
“That this adult felt emboldened to behave in this way towards hundreds of students and other adults should deeply disturb all of us; this type of behavior will not be tolerated.”
A disorderly conduct charge has been referred to the Sauk County District Attorney’s Office.
Baraboo high school was in the news in 2018 after an image surfaced of students giving the Nazi salute.
In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com at the time, Peter Gust emphasized that the almost entirely white group of boys merely waved goodbye to their parents, without making any political statement.
“I am very frustrated and find it reprehensible that people all over the world can come to a judgment without knowing the facts and come to a monkeying around – and that comes from all over the world,” he said.