A New Jersey mother has reportedly sued a school police officer in federal court. She alleged he choked her and had her arrested after she brought tampons to her daughter’s high school.
Nadia Baxter, who is Black, said Monroe Township police Officer Michael J. Marsh Jr. turned a verbal dispute into a violent confrontation in the lobby as she came to drop off tampons to her daughter in the urgency of Williamstown High School on October 11, 2024. The allegations have reportedly not been tested in court.
What The Lawsuit Revealed
Baxter filed the complaint October 8 in U.S. District Court in New Jersey. It accuses Marsh of excessive force, malicious prosecution and fabricating evidence. It also faults school staff and police supervisors for failing to act.
Per the suit, staff refused the delivery, so Baxter decided to take her daughter home for the day.
As the daughter approached the lobby, Marsh allegedly shut the door to keep Baxter out. The complaint said Baxter questioned him and used words later called derogatory, but never threatened him.
It alleged school surveillance video showed Marsh made the first physical contact and revealed that he grabbed her arm, put a hand on her neck and pushed her into lobby chairs. He then repeatedly put her in chokeholds, lifted her and took her to the floor, the suit alleged.
How Did the Arrests Happen
Baxter and her daughter were both arrested. Baxter was charged with simple assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. Prosecutors dropped the assault and resisting counts on February 25, 2026 and reduced the third charge to a municipal ordinance violation, to which she pleaded guilty.
The suit revealed that she accepted the deal because she feared a criminal record could cost her job working with vulnerable youth and adults with developmental disabilities. It stressed that she did not admit to assaulting Marsh.
The daughter was suspended for about seven weeks for allegedly assaulting staff. The school board reviewed the footage and she returned under a “Success Contract” and administrative probation, the complaint said.
Meanwhile, it does not reveal what charges she faced or how her case ended. The suit also alleged Principal Angelo DeStefano grabbed the girl and a counselor restrained her on the floor.
Officer Later Honored as Officer of the Month
Police said after the incident that Marsh suffered injuries to his face and hands. The lawsuit disputed that account, saying the video contradicts the portrayal of Baxter as the aggressor.
It also alleged Marsh never turned on his body camera and logged his force only as a “take down.” The department’s Internal Affairs unit reportedly exonerated Marsh in April 2025, the suit said.
Reportedly, he was later named officer of the month in March. The complaint said the review prescribed no training, discipline or other corrective action.
