Two teachers at a tiny private Christian school in Georgia are charged with sexually abusing the same student — and more teachers may be involved, according to the accuser’s lawyer.
Bonnie Elizabeth Brown, 25, and Sherri Delle Mauldin, 60, were both charged with multiple felonies for allegedly abusing the student while they taught at the K-12 Nathanael Greene Academy in rural Siloam, the Georgie Bureau of Investigation revealed Monday. Brown is also a former homecoming queen at the same school.
“These women took advantage of their positions as my teachers,” the unidentified accuser told 11 Alive in a statement released through attorney Ashley Mitchell.
“My school did not protect me as a child,” alleged the accuser, without detailing how old they were when the alleged abuse happened.
“I see that now, and I hope that these arrests will protect our community and children in it,” the accuser said, saying they were “relieved” at the arrests.
The teachers abused the pupil “at the school and outside the school,” Mitchell told the outlet.
One of the teachers had previously been cited by school officials for inappropriate conduct with the student, the attorney said, without naming which of the two accused.
Mitchell said that there may be more victims — and more abusers.
“There is information to suggest that potentially other teachers may have been involved with other victims,” she said.
Brown was arrested Friday for having sexual contact with the accuser while employed at the school, where she had graduated from and was named homecoming queen in 2016, according to 11 Alive.
At the time of her arrest, Brown had been teaching at a primary school in Wilkes County. She is charged with improper sexual contact by an employee, agent, or foster parent.
Mauldin was arrested Monday after an investigation by GBI revealed she had also sexually assaulted the accuser while she was employed by the school. She was charged with improper sexual contact by an employee, agent, or roster parent, aggravated child molestation, and statutory rape.
The Greene County Sheriff’s Office was tipped off to the abuse last June and asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) to look into the allegations.
The Nathanael Greene Academy said neither woman has worked at the school for a year, Atlanta News First reported.
The small school, located about 90 miles southeast of Atlanta, only has 12 teachers on staff, according to its website.
School officials said in a statement Monday that it is aware of the teachers’ arrests and is cooperating with investigators. The administration and its board of trustees will be holding an emergency closed-door meeting to discuss the matter privately.
“NGA’s Administration and Board of Trustees will be providing further information following the emergency board meeting,” school officials said.
GBI told the Post they are not releasing additional information at this time as the investigation is ongoing.
Once the investigation is complete, the agency will turn the case over to the Ocmulgee District Attorney’s Office.
The Post has reached out to the Nathanael Greene Academy for comment.
Read the full article here
