ESSEX COUNTY, Va. -- An employee of Essex County Public Schools has been fired and criminally charged after a parent came forward with allegations that the man sent inappropriate messages to their child's phone.
The child is younger than 15 years old.
Superintendent of Essex Schools Dr. Harry Thomas first addressed the incident earlier this week in an email to parents containing limited information. In it, he acknowledged a "personnel matter of a very serious nature" which included "questionable and serious misconduct."
On Friday, Thomas shared more information in an interview with CBS 6 in an effort to be transparent with the school community.
“First and foremost, my priority is the safety of our students and staff," Thomas said.
Thomas explained that last Sunday, he was informed a staff member was inappropriately communicating with a young student. He added the messages were found by a parent who was checking the child's social media activity.
“We do not permit employees to message students in a way that could be construed as romantic in any regard," Thomas said.
Thomas said he requested to see the evidence. Once he reviewed it, Thomas said he immediately took action to have the employee terminated and contacted law enforcement.
The Essex County Sheriff's Office said on Wednesday, deputies arrested 28-year-old Davonta Hill, an assistant coach of the Essex junior varsity girls' basketball team and a paraeducator for the school division.
Deputies said Hill faces the following charges:
- Indecent liberties with a child under the age of 15
- Computer solicitation of a child under the age of 15
- Contributing to the delinquency of a minor
Thomas said the alleged crimes were committed on Hill's personal phone and that no physical interactions were involved.
“We have communicated with our administrators to do proper due diligence as far as determining whether or not this individual had contact with any other student," Thomas said.
Officials said at the time, there appears to be one victim, but deputies did not want to comment when asked if there was reason to believe additional victims may be involved.
"We've asked our law enforcement partners to be diligent as well in their investigations to question and to probe and to interview our staff to ensure that there are no other persons or victims out there that we're unaware of," Thomas said. “If we determine that there is a potential threat of any kind, we're going to be exhaustive in our investigation and very prompt in our action.”
Thomas said he's met with the family of the alleged victim and is offering support and assistance "given the trauma they've experienced."
As the investigation continues, Thomas said the district will commit to being as transparent as possible in its communication.
“If our students and staff don't feel safe and secure in our facilities, then teaching and learning cannot take place," he said.
The sheriff's office said Hill made his first court appearance Thursday. He received a $5,000 secured bond and is scheduled to be arraigned on January 23.
