After working in public education for almost thirty years, one observation I’ll share is that often schools promoted teachers to assistant principal or principal not because of their stellar qualifications but because they were affordable and in-house. Hiring a teacher replacement was much less complicated than hiring an administrator.
With that said, I’m assuming that the assistant principal of high school students in this true crime may not have been the best candidate.
The married with children, former Assistant Principal (AP) first drew the attention of the state’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit because of his online pornography activity. The Homeland Security Investigations joined the investigation because, in his attempt to access child pornography, the former AP had violated federal and state laws.
After his arrest, the 37-year-old former teacher, coach, and assistant principal pleaded guilty to multiple counts of sexual assault against a student, which included touching, kissing, and more. His victims ranged from 14 to 16 years old and attended different high schools where he had worked.
He received his teaching credential in 2009, accepted the assistant principal position in 2014, then the authorities arrested him in 2018. His illegal conduct took place over a reported two-year period.
As part of the plea agreement, he accepted a 15-year prison sentence. The court also ordered that upon his release, the system will add him to the sex offender registry and prohibit him from having contact with any minors other than his children. #sexoffender #abuseofpower
A Homeland Security Investigation Agent in Charge associated with the case said,
“Child sexual abuse inflicts lifelong mental and physical scars on its victims and the added abuse of power, in this case, makes the crime even more egregious.”
Source: Georgia Bureau of Investigations, Morgan Citizen, The Oconee Enterprise