Lanning pleads guilty in harassment case

By NewsPress Now

A St. Joseph school board member admitted guilt Tuesday afternoon to a misdemeanor charge stemming from an incident involving another elected official.

Whitney Lanning entered a guilty plea to the charge of second-degree harassment at a hearing in front of Associate Circuit Judge Chad Gaddie. She will be placed on probation and is ordered by the court to attend an anger management course during that time.

Lanning was charged for her behavior in a Feb. 26 incident at Troester Media Center following a Board of Education meeting that evening. Court documents and district security video detail Lanning approaching fellow board member Isaura Garcia in a doorway as she was leaving, yelling at her, following her through multiple rooms and throwing her own property at a wall.

During court Tuesday afternoon, it was stated by court officials that derogatory comments were made about Lanning’s 6-year-old daughter from Garcia, which prompted her actions following the school board meeting on Feb. 26.

Lanning still faces a civil suit filed by fellow board member Isaura Garcia related to the incident. No hearings have been set in that case.