The Wisconsin dad who went viral when he stormed the stage at his daughter’s graduation to stop the superintendent from shaking her hand has revealed why he intervened.
Matt Eddy, 49, interrupted the Baraboo High School ceremony in front of his mortified daughter in what police believe was a “pre-planned” episode as he was about to receive his diploma on Friday.
As he pushed his way through a line of school officials, shaking their hands, Eddy grabbed Superintendent Rainey Briggs by the arm and shouted, ‘That’s my daughter.’ I don’t want her to touch it.
In a police report from that night obtained by WMTVEddy told police he “had problems with Rainey in the past and doesn’t like him” as he was charged with disorderly conduct.
Eddy also told police he “wanted to prevent Rainey from having the satisfaction of shaking” his son’s hand.
“So he went on stage to prevent that from happening,” the police report adds.
As his daughter made her way through a line of school officials, shaking their hands, Matt Eddy grabbed Superintendent Rainey Briggs by the arm and shoved him aside (far left).
Eddy told police he “had problems with Rainey in the past and doesn’t like him” and “wanted to prevent Rainey from having the satisfaction of shaking” his son’s hand.
Superintendent Briggs told police he did not know who the man was at the time.
He said he knew of one case in which Eddy’s daughter had been disciplined by the school, but that he had nothing to do with it, insisting that he “has no idea why Eddy came in that way.”
It comes after Superintendent Briggs issued 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 “created 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 June 14 hearing.
Baraboo School District spokesperson Hailey Wagner also confirmed 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 authorities to ensure a thorough investigation,” Wagner said.
‘Our primary goal remains to celebrate the achievements of our graduates.
“We want to ensure that the importance of this milestone and the hard work of our students are not overshadowed by this unfortunate event.”
A dispute continues between a group of residents and Briggs and the school board.
A group of residents is currently trying to oust school board president Kevin Vodak, who was at the graduation.
Vodak has been accused of favoritism and offering inadequate salaries and support to teachers.
Briggs has come under fire for his pay and that of other administrators, while contracts awarded to his consulting firms have also come under scrutiny.
Critics also noted high staff turnover during his tenure and student behavior problems.
The school district said in a statement: ‘Our primary focus remains celebrating the achievements of our graduates.
“We want to ensure that the importance of this milestone and the hard work of our students are not overshadowed by this unfortunate event.”
The district added that they are working with authorities.
“We would like 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 issued a statement commenting on Eddy.
“No Baraboo School District employee should fear for his or her physical safety while performing his or her job duties or at any other time,” the school board said.
‘That this adult felt emboldened to behave in this way in front of hundreds of students and other adults should deeply concern us all; “This type of behavior will not be tolerated.”
A charge of disorderly conduct has been referred to the Sauk County District Attorney’s Office.
Baraboo High School made headlines in 2018 after a picture emerged that appeared to show students giving a Nazi salute.
In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com at the time, Peter Gust insisted that the virtually exclusively white group of children were simply saying goodbye to their parents and not making any political statements.
“I’m very frustrated and find it reprehensible that people around the world can make a judgment without knowing any facts and go crazy, and that comes from all over the world,” he said.