Slapping case: School board wants Chowdhury to resign
By Sue Lindsay, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Published July 8, 2008 at 10:38 a.m.
Updated July 9, 2008 at 6:10 a.m.
Vince Chowdhury says he has made no decision yet on whether to step down.
The Jefferson County Board of Education on Tuesday asked member Vince Chowdhury to resign after he pleaded guilty to assault charges for slapping his daughter two weeks ago.
Chowdhury was contrite following the morning hearing in Jefferson County Court.
"I would like to apologize and to say, especially to my wife and my daughter, that I am sorry, and I feel I should have used better judgment," he said.
"My intention was to discipline my child, who I felt was being disrespectful to her father. I know I should have handled it differently. I ask for everybody's forgiveness. I have been a loving and caring father for 21 years."
Chowdhury, who was charged with third-degree misdemeanor assault, must stay away from his wife and daughter and attend anger management and parenting classes under a one-year deferred judgment, which will erase the case from his record if he stays out of trouble.
The school board met in special session Tuesday and unanimously asked for Chowdhury's resignation. Dave Thomas abstained from voting because he represented Chowdhury during court proceedings. Chowdhury said he had made no decision on whether to resign.
Members said they were saddened but felt they needed to act in the best interest of the district and students.
The incident began when Chowdhury, a candidate in the Democratic primary for House District 22, arrived home June 17 and honked his horn to signal his wife and daughter to open the garage door.
The door eventually was opened, but Chowdhury was angry, complaining he had to sit in the driveway honking his horn for several minutes before anyone opened the door, the girl told police.
Although the wife and girl apologized, Katherine Chowdhury told police, her husband took the daughter's apology as "mocking" him and began slapping her. The girl said he grabbed her by the throat and choked her. She said she grabbed one of her father's hands around her throat and bit it in self-defense.
Katherine Chowdhury said she helped the girl get free and had her lock herself in a bathroom while she called 911.
lindsays@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5181
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July 8, 2008
10:53 a.m.
Suggest removal
Cowboy63 writes:
"he cited his years of service to Jefferson County and said he hoped that the public would give him a second chance."
Sorry, Buddy. You had your chance and you blew it.
We'll see how you do after "anger management and parenting classes under a one-year deferred judgment that will erase the case from his record".
We can find a better citizen to sit on the school board.
July 8, 2008
11:13 a.m.
Suggest removal
hdfresh writes:
Guy should have used his cell phone to call to open the garage instead of thinking they would hear him honking. And how can you bite somebodies hand while they are slapping you? His daughter must have a quick bite on her.
July 8, 2008
11:15 a.m.
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Scott writes:
MG,
Sure, I've been called a LOT worse. :-)
Scott
July 8, 2008
11:21 a.m.
Suggest removal
SockRayBlue writes:
"....complaining that he had to sit in the driveway honking his horn for several minutes before anyone opened the door..."
Now here is a man's man. King of his home and everything he surveys! In his own mind. The article says much about this lazy bureaucrat. You have to love the mind set of these guys. I'm sure his daughter learned how to be mean in his household.
July 8, 2008
11:23 a.m.
Suggest removal
bitwranglers writes:
The kid is most likely a Republican. She probably bites all Democrats. Lets send her to the statehouse for the next session.
July 8, 2008
11:24 a.m.
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BroncoDan writes:
geez! buy a garage door opener!!! or...get your lazy A$$ out of the car and open it yourself!
July 8, 2008
11:30 a.m.
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elkman writes:
What a lazy piece of you know what. I bet he doesn't do zilch at home to help his wife. I guess his stint on the Jefferson County School Board is done. At least we as voters have control of that. Scary to think that he is on the board of education.
July 8, 2008
11:31 a.m.
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Shortstop12 writes:
Used to be called parenting.....
July 8, 2008
11:34 a.m.
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kodijack writes:
A little over the top for parenting. Maybe one slap but the choking is out of bounds, as is threatening your wife.
July 8, 2008
11:35 a.m.
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elkman writes:
I don't think choking ever came under the umbrella of parenting. Also, how can you lose it over not getting the garage door opened for you? This guy is a jerk and deserves everything he gets.
July 8, 2008
11:39 a.m.
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Coffee_Mug writes:
so then if you call dems wife/daughter beaters, then you can call all republicans no accountability warmongerers.
July 8, 2008
11:40 a.m.
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farsidefan writes:
Idiocy and stupidity know no political boundary. It is about time this guy will be finished with public life.
I heard him about a month ago, discussing the attempt for a new bond for Jeffco schools. He had no clue what he was talking about.
Good riddance.
July 8, 2008
11:59 a.m.
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BroncoDan writes:
farside...
he obviously has no clue, period
July 8, 2008
12:06 p.m.
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RBN writes:
But what if he told her before he came home "Listen...open the door, or I am going to slap that smile off your face!" I mean, is he really that wrong?
July 8, 2008
12:28 p.m.
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fefe writes:
hmmmm must be related to Bruce who kicked the reporter, or the Cop who took himself and wife out and is he legal ????
July 8, 2008
12:35 p.m.
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fefe writes:
and if he were of a minority race the outcome would be verrrry different, HE WOULD NOT BE ALIVE TO ASK FOR A SECOND CHANCE. WE ALL KNOW THAT HUH.
July 8, 2008
12:51 p.m.
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Squatch writes:
Fix me a turkey pot pie.
July 8, 2008
1:01 p.m.
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elkman writes:
fefe:
Politics and race have no bearing on this story. Leave it alone before you stick your foot in it.
July 8, 2008
1:09 p.m.
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Acemon writes:
I wonder how his neighbors felt about the honking. If I lived next to him, I would have slapped him for his socially unacceptable noise.
July 8, 2008
2:53 p.m.
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Ming writes:
This guy is in charge of educating our kids, but he is not smart enough to buy and use a remote controlled garage door opener?
July 8, 2008
4:21 p.m.
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Retread writes:
Get real, tell me of one parent out there who has not wanted to slap the livin &^%$ out of your teenager? Be truthful! I live a half a block from a Junior high, just try to ask them to pick up their trash after themselves! They all have child abuse hotlines speed dialed on their cells, and can cuss like paratroopers on a three day pass! No respect for elders, no respect for anybody..
July 8, 2008
11:22 p.m.
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whitesummer2112 writes:
I've been really good friends with this guy's older daughter for several years, and while I don't approve of what he's done, it sort of bothers me to read what the rest of you all say. I don't think his politics or his race have anything to do at all with what happened. It really suprised me when I heard about what happened, because every time I saw him he was always very friendly, and my friend never - ever - said anything that even hinted at abuse.
- MarineGrunt, that's a terrible thing to say and absolutely not true. You can't judge an entire group of people for something that only a few have done.
- bitwranglers, you're not funny.
- fefe, shut up. Race doesn't have anything to do with it.
- YIOTA, you're not funny either. This didn't have anything to do with politics at all.
I don't agree with what he did at all, but by your comments I think some of you are just idiots. His wife and both his daughters are wonderful people, and this is a hard time for them. They could use support a lot more than they could use political and/or racial jokes. It's disgusting.
July 9, 2008
1:35 a.m.
Suggest removal
yetirunner1 writes:
Any man who hits/chokes a woman for any reason (especially a daughter) is a spineless coward. He is not fit to represent the general public interest, especially when it comes to our children. The Board absolutely made the right move.
July 9, 2008
6:05 a.m.
Suggest removal
DD writes:
The guy is from Bangladesh, which ranks second in domestic violence attacks in the world. I'm surprised he hasn't insisted that the girls in Jefferson County Public Schools wear scarves over their faces. I hope his wife divorces him and gets a very good attorney. This loser insurance agent reports his income on candidate forms and hardly makes any money. He'll insist his wife pay him alimony if she leaves.
July 9, 2008
7:23 a.m.
Suggest removal
arby writes:
Milehighguy
He will have to leave the house. The mother and children always remain in the home. Where have you been?
If these rules were in place when me and my siblings and cousins were growing up all of our fathers would have been jailed. That's the way it was. You screw up you're going to get it. Once you learn that lesson it is time for ice cream.
That being said it seems this guy is a total jerk. Go open the door or buy an opener. Don't make your family wait on you.
The only time my Dad honked the horn was on Sunday morning and everyone was in the car ready to go to church and my Mom was still putzzing around. But he didn't hit anyone.
July 9, 2008
8:14 a.m.
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fefe writes:
no race is never an issue when it someone who is not a minority, but oh my god let it be a minority and that's all you people dwell on the very first thing that comes out of your mouths is were they legal, my point, is all evil bad people are NO DIFFERENT JUST THINK YOU ARE !!!!! ugly is ugly and and does not make one rats a-- diference what color the person is get it got it good !!!! end of my time with you Clanorados
July 9, 2008
8:18 a.m.
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usmcmustang writes:
The wording is all wrong for the headline! That is what is provoking the controversy here! I know I will evoke wrath from the "no spanking clan" but he was NOT charged for "slapping his daughter". This sentence evokes an image of a man slapping the face of a smartmouth teen. She was repeatedly slapped, chased, choked, and assaulted by all means of the definition. The headline is provoking the controversy here. Most mothers don't have to call 911 because the father slapped a smartmouth. This sounds like a full on rage he was in. A person may or may not have ramifications at work for smacking his teenager's lips, but all of us would be in trouble at work for getting arrested for such an extreme level of rage-induced violence.
July 9, 2008
9:01 a.m.
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alwaysright writes:
Back to race again.
I missed Saturday's race anybody know who won ?
July 9, 2008
10:06 a.m.
Suggest removal
Dr_Jones writes:
Destroyed the dads life. Now this stay at home mom better get a job and support herself. The daughter will be 18 in a year and a half so she better start packing.No free rides when you instigate fights then call the cops!!!
July 9, 2008
10:23 a.m.
Suggest removal
TheDenverB writes:
yeah dr. jones...
because the daughter raised her fathers hand, hit herself with it and then began choking herself with it.
really destroyed his life, they did.
::sarcasm::
it's called personal responsibility and all of this mess is nobody's fault but his.
and if you really think choke-slapping a 16 year old girla is appropriate discipline (when she clearly didn't do anything wrong and his lazy a$s simply needs a garage door opener), then you need help or a cell next to this guy.
July 9, 2008
12:14 p.m.
Suggest removal
elkman writes:
Dr_Jones:
Obviously not a real doctor. He destroyed his own life. When are people going to start taking responsibility for their own actions? The guy is a jerk, pure and simple.
July 9, 2008
12:59 p.m.
Suggest removal
whitesummer2112 writes:
- DD, you shouldn't jump to conclusions. Culture likely does have something to do with it, but saying that he probably wants everyone to wear burkas is taking it a bit far.
- YIOTA, don't worry, I don't see any of them a whole lot any more, not since my friend went too college. That still doesn't mean it wasn't a shock, though. And no, your post wasn't funny. It was insulting.
- fefe, nobody mentioned race until you did.
- Dr_Jones, the wife has a job. Because the Dad did something wrong, don't assume the rest of the family is just as lazy and mean as he is. That's not the case at all. She has a job, and their daughters are both very intelligent and creative people. Don't blame them for what he did. It's his fault, not theirs.
And thanks TheDenverB and elkman for being reasonable.
July 9, 2008
1:47 p.m.
Suggest removal
freedomfighter1 writes:
Did he leave a mark? I was a CPS worker here in Colorado and it was not against the law to slap your child as long as you did not leave a mark. Now the choking is a different story, but a lot of the focus seems to be around the slapping incident.
July 9, 2008
2:09 p.m.
Suggest removal
me2 writes:
I think from this and other posts, Dr. Jones suffers from "female troubles".
July 9, 2008
4:15 p.m.
Suggest removal
fefe writes:
whitesummer2112 that's right NO ONE METIONS RACE TIL I DID, that's my point whenever anything bad or ugly happens if it's a minority that's the first thing to be metioned. Don't whitewash my point !!!because you know it's the truth. Trash encludes the entire human race not just blacks and browns PEOPLE.
July 9, 2008
4:19 p.m.
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fefe writes:
WHITETRASH I MEAN WHITESUMMER YOU KISS MY BROWN A-- AND YOU SHUT UP !!!
July 9, 2008
11:23 p.m.
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whitesummer2112 writes:
fefe...could you PLEASE speak english when you talk. Your grammar is horrible and makes it very difficult to understand.
YOU were the first one to bring up the issue of race. Nobody else said anything about it before you did. You know why? BECAUSE IT DOESN'T MATTER. And how DARE you accuse me of being racist? I know the Chowdhury family personally and am great friends with the older daughter. I DON'T CARE that Vince Chowdhury is from Bangladesh. I DON'T CARE because it DOES NOT MATTER. As I said, I've been friends with his daughter for several years and she is one of the most amazing people I have ever met in my life. I don't give a crap what race, religion, political party, or whatever else she might be. IT ISN'T AN ISSUE.
And if this is about my user name...it isn't a race thing, dumba--. White Summer was an instrumental song Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin wrote a long time ago. I think it's a beautiful piece of music, so I use it as my name in several places.
So YOU should SHUT UP. Because you obviously have NO IDEA what I, or anyone else, am talking about and only see the world through your own tainted vision. You see things that aren't there.
But hey, that's your problem, not mine.