(09/11/08 - Initial BBT Report)

Joel Stephenson, 55, a janitor at Joyner Elementary School in Greensboro, North Carolina has been arrested on allegations of sexually assaulting a 6-year-old.

Stephenson is charged with one count of taking indecent liberties with a minor and first-degree sex offense on allegations that he sexually assaulted the girl over the summer while she was taking an English as a Second Language class.

Reportedly Stephenson is no longer employed by the school system.

References:

Janitor At Joyner Elementary Charged With Sex Offense (09/10/08)

(09/09/08 - Initial BBT Report)

James Robert Buck, 54, who was employed by the North Carolina Driving School Corporation and contracted as a driver’s education teacher at Croatan High School in Newport, North Carolina has been arrested on allegations that he improperly touched a 15-year-old student during a driving lesson last week.

Buck was charged with one count of sexual battery and following his arrest was held in the Carteret County Jail under a $3,000.00 secured bond.

Buck was ordered not to return to any Carteret County Public School property until the matter is settled in court.

Buck’s next court appearance is scheduled for October 6th.

Buck came to the attention of authorities when the alleged incident was reported to school resource officer. The incident is alleged to have occurred while Buck was instructing two students how to drive.

Reportedly Buck, who worked for his employer for nine years, was fired following his arrest.

References:

Local Driver’s Ed. Teacher Accused of Inappropriately Touching Student (09/08/08)

Swansboro man charged with sexual battery (09/05/08)

(07/16/08 - Initial BBT Report)

Jeannie Michelle Hodges, 39, reportedly a former language arts teacher at Hobbton Middle School in Newton Grove, North Carolina has been arrested on allegations that she had a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old male student.

Hodges is charged with statutory rape, committing a sex offense with a student and contributing to the delinquency of a minor and following her arrest Tuesday was being held in the Sampson County Detention Center in lieu of $50,000 bond.

It is alleged that Hodges engaged in the sexual relationship with the student during the 2007-2008 school year and that the student had spent several nights at Hodge’s residence.

Reportedly Hodges came to the attention of authorities when a concerned citizen called the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office with a tip about the alleged relationship. A press release from the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office states that Hodges was “very open about her relationship with the 15-year-old”.

09/03/08 - Hodges Arrested and Charged Again

Jeannie Hodges has been arrested and charged again with the latest charges the the result of police stopping a vehicle occupied by Hodges and the boy she is accused of raping during an early-morning driver’s license checkpoint last weekend.

Police say that the 15-year-old alleged sex abuse victim was driving Hodges’ vehicle at the time of the traffic stop.

Hodges has been charged with allowing an unlicensed minor to drive and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.

Bond for Hodges on the latest charges was set at $2,000. Her bond on the earlier charges was $50,000.

One can not help but wonder if Jeannie Hodges is following the example set by Stephanie Ragusa, another teacher accused of the sexual abuse of teen boys. Ragusa’s alleged refusal to stop seeing and having sex with the alleged victim resulted in her being held without bond. Could it be that Jeanie Hodges is destined for a similar fate? - webmaster

References:

Former Hobbton teacher charged again (09/03/08)

Ex-teacher charged with having sex with student (07/16/08)

Former teacher accused of having sex with 15-year-old student (07/16/08)

Julie Miller Culbertson, a 38-year-old wife and mother as well as Health science teacher at East Henderson High School in Hendersonville, North Carolina was arrested for having sex with a female student .

The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office is playing this case close to its vest not revealing many details of the alleged offense although it has been made public that the sexual relationship between Culbertson and the girl went on for several weeks.

Shortly after her arrest, Culbertson was released on a $10,000 secured bond. She resigned the day of her arrest.

No details are currently available on the age of the alleged victim or where the alleged offenses took place.

Update 6/30/07:

Culbertson’s case was postponed in district court Friday and according to the District Attorney’s office it will be heard at the next sitting of the grand jury.

09/02/08 - Sentencing

Julie Culbertson who entered into a plea deal in July and pleaded guilty to the felony charge and subsequently spent 30 days in jail as a condition of that plea deal has been formerly sentenced to three years of probation.

Culbertson said at her sentencing, “There are no words to express the pain I have caused my family and the victim’s family,” she said. “My actions did not come from a predatory intent, but were wrong.”

References:

Former East Henderson High teacher sentenced (09/02/08)

Case postponed for former teacher

Teacher facing sex charge

Teacher Arrested, Charged With Sex Crimes

(08/20/08 - Initial BBT Report)

Eric Grange, 45, a former teacher at the Montessori Community School in Chapel Hill, North Carolina has been convicted in a jury trial on charges alleging the sexual abuse of female students at the school in 2005 and 2006.

The victims were girls, ages 5 to 8-years-old.

Grange is a French citizen.

He abruptly resigned from the school in June 2006 when school officials questioned him about suspected abuse of girls.

Grange was arrested by U.S. immigration agents at Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C. approximately three months later when a warrant was issued for his arrest.

There was little coverage of Grange’s trial as the prosecution and defense agreed to bar the press from the Durham County Superior Court where the trial took place.

We will update this coverage as information becomes available. - webmaster

References:

Chapel Hill teacher found guilty of sex abuse (08/20/08)

Jury selection to begin in sexual abuse case (07/28/08)