Bothell High School is headlining the news this weekend as police continue to investigate the assault that happened last Thursday afternoon on school grounds. Wood shop teacher Cal Pygott was attacked on his shop about two hours after dismissal. Assailant and reason of attack remain unknown up to this time.
Cal Pygott has been a wood shop teacher at Bothell High School for almost 16 years. According to his son, his father, 63, is a good man- a great husband and father, a great grandfather to his grandchildren, and a popular teacher who taught his students to be responsible (via The Seattle Times).
"This is just a complete shock to us, and we don't understand how someone could do such a thing to such a well-liked teacher and person in general. It's hard to even fathom...We haven't met anyone who wouldn't like him," he told The Seattle Times.
The assailant remains at large after police failed to catch him following the attack last Thursday. The man entered the wood shop unannounced and hit Cal Pygott with an unidentified object on the back of his head before trying to choke him with a zip tie. The teacher was able to go out of his shop to look for wire cutters and take off the zip tie on his neck but he collapsed before a fellow teacher responded to his situation and called 911.
Q13 Fox says the police is still looking for tracks that will lead them to Cal Pygott's assailant and know his reasons for attacking the teacher. Police Sgt. Ken Seuberlich said that this is the first time they heard of a threat against Cal Pygott and they are still unsure if the attacker is a Bothell High School student, employee or an outsider.
When police responded to the crime scene, they closed the wood shop and immediately made rounds on the school, only to find no signs of the assailant. They will look at the available surveillance video and would talk to Cal Pygott after he has fully recuperated.
On Friday, the school board of Bothell High School closed the campus to accommodate further police investigation. The school announced that classes will resume on Monday (via Kiro 7).
