Archive for the ‘Georgia’ Category
(02/10/10 – Initial BadBadTeacher.com Report)
Rafer Lamar Grier, a Spanish teacher at Stephenson Middle School in Stone Mountain, Georgia has reportedly been arrested on allegations of child molestation and statutory rape.
Reportedly, Grier is charged with four counts of aggravated child molestation and one count of statutory rape. It is unknown whether the alleged victim is or is not a student at the school.
The crimes are alleged to have occurred in 2008 and Grier was arrested last week.
DeKalb County Schools didn’t know they had a teacher arrested on charges of aggravated child molestation and statutory rape until CBS Atlanta News told them.
According to the same report:
In a statement to CBS Atlanta News from the DeKalb County School District, they said:
“The DeKalb County School District learned of the arrest of Mr. Grier after receiving the media inquiry from Channel 46 and subsequently researching the DeKalb Jail web site.”
Reportedly, Grier’s next court appearance is set for February 16th.
DeKalb County Jail records indicate that bond for Grier has not been set as yet.
(02/24/10 – Initial BadBadTeacher.com Report)
Philip Bradley Pirkle, 32, a former band director at Thomson Middle School and Thomson-McDuffie County Junior High schools in McDuffie County, Georgia has reportedly been arrested on allegations of an inappropriate conversation on the Internet with a 14 year old girl and possession of child pornography.
Reportedly, Pirkle was arrested on one count of possession of child pornography and one count of using a computer to entice a child for indecent purposes.
Pirkle came to the attention of authorities when the mother of the alleged victim reported communications between her daughter and Mr. Pirkle on MySpace.
Court documents indicate that the two discussed meeting each other for sex.
Court documents also indicate that in one of those e-mails Pirkle allegedly admitted to having sex with one of his students, but never one of his current band students.
Pirkle, who was previously Thomson Middle’s “Teacher of the Year”, resigned from the school system in July of last year as the investigation was getting under way.
(07/06/10 – Initial BadBadTeacher.com Report)
Richard Williams, 47, a former teacher at Alpharetta High School, in Alpharetta, Georgia has reportedly been arrested and charged with attempted aggravated assault and computer pornography.
FBI officials say that Williams was arrested Monday after he allegedly traveled to Ringgold in an effort to have sex with a minor child.
Following his arrest, Williams is being held in the Catoosa County Jail and is facing state charges of attempted aggravated assault and computer pornography.
Williams came to the attention of undercover law enforcement agents during online conversations over the internet.
07/08/10 – Case Update
According to FBI spokesman Stephen Emmett, Williams traveled from Atlanta to Ringgold on Tuesday to meet what he believed to be a child he had conversed with online. Instead of a child, he was met by agents with the FBI’s Northwest Georgia Crimes Against Children Task Force.
According to Maj. Gary Sisk with the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office, Williams remains held without bond on charges of criminal attempt of aggravated child molestation, computer pornography and child exploitation.
References:
Former teacher charged in sex sting (07/08/10)
Ex-Alpharetta Teacher Facing Porn Charges (07/06/10)
Former Alpharetta Teacher Arrested on Porn Charges (07/06/10)
(04/15/08 – Initial BBT Report)
Steven Martin Parkman, 32, director of orchestra at Carl Harrison High School in Kennesaw, Georgia has resigned his job and been arrested on allegations of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old female student.
Parkman came to the attention of authorities who were contacted by school officials.
A school district spokesperson said that Parkman “resigned in lieu of termination” although students were reportedly told that he resigned for “personal reasons”.
Parkman had taught at the school for four years and was credited with major improvement of the school’s orchestral program. In February Parkman was honored as the Student and Teacher Achievement Recognition program teacher of the 2007-2008 year for Harrison High School.
Following his arrest Parkman was held in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center in lieu of $35,000 bail.
12/03/08 – Dismissal of Charges Sought
Steve Parkman, who allegedly told investigators that he and a student had sexual contact four times beginning last February, is seeking a dismissal of the charges against him on the basis that the law prohibiting teacher and student sexual relations is unconstitutional.
(05/07/08 – Initial BBT Report)
Noelle Pannell, 31, a teacher at Carver Middle School in Monroe, Georgia has been arrested for alleged inappropriate contact with a 7th-grade male student.
Pannell is reportedly charged with sexual exploitation and child molestation, although investigators say there was no sex between Pannell and the alleged victim.
Allegedly Pannell was communicating with the boy primarily via MySpace and in some face-to-face physical contact.
Investigators say their investigation is not completed.
Pannell who was arrested on Tuesday was freed on bond Wednesday.
Reportedly bond for Pannell was set at $40,000 and she has been suspended by the school system.
06/21/10 – Guilty Plea and Sentencing
Reportedly, Noelle Pannell pleaded guilty last week to one count of sexual exploitation of children.
(06/11/08 – Initial BBT Report)
Tonya Henke Craft, a kindergarten teacher at Chickamauga Elementary School in Chickamauga, GA has been arrested and charged with four counts of child molestation and one count of aggravated sexual battery.
The alleged victims are three female students at Chickamauga Elementary and investigators say that the crimes occurred between between 2005 and May 2007.
The alleged crimes are said to have occurred in Craft’s home and involved Craft fondling and digitally penetrating the little girls.
Craft turned herself into the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office after warrants were issued for her arrest. Her attorney says his client adamantly denies the charges, and says she was never given the opportunity by the sheriff’s office to tell her side of the story.
Following her arrest and booking, Craft was released on $50,000 bond.
Reportedly Craft’s arrest report implicates a juvenile suspect in the molestation of at least one victim. Authorities are investigating whether the juvenile suspect may also be a victim.