Middle school teacher under investigation
Published 9:44 am Thursday, September 8, 2016
An Ellis Middle School teacher is under investigation for sending improper photographs to a student via social media.
Investigators with the Davie County Sheriff’s Department are poring over cell phone records of dozens of students after the female teacher allegedly sent a partially nude photograph of herself to a male eighth grader.
That image quickly spread, said Sheriff’s Chief J.D. Hartman. Data from dozens of phones have been downloaded, with most of the phones containing thousands of images (Not necessarily improper images, but ones investigators are looking through.).
Hartman said parents need to be aware. They have found phones that had a calculator app. Open it, and it works just like a calculator, but key in the right numbers and it turns into a storage file for images.
Charges against the teacher are likely, Hartman said, with the content of any photos that are found determining if the woman will be charged with a misdemeanor or a felony, after the investigation is completed and the DA’s office is consulted.
While the sheriff’s department did not release the name of the suspect, Davie Schools’ Superintendent Dr. Darrin Hartness reported that the schools had accepted the resignation of teacher Shannon Wood on Tuesday, Aug. 30.
The sheriff’s department was contacted about the matter the previous Friday.
“We have been actively cooperating with that investigation,” Hartness said.
He also urged parents to be aware of what is on their childrens’ technology devices