Virginia school ongoing to make use of convicted intercourse offender 20 months soon after arrest

Jenny Goldsberry

August 20, 01:44 PM August 20, 01:46 PM

One center college counselor held his task for virtually two yrs in Virginia as soon as he was initial arrested soon after soliciting sexual intercourse from a slight.

Law enforcement in Chesterfield, Virginia, arrested Darren Thornton in November 2020 just after he engaged with an undercover officer posing as a 17-yr-previous female. Thornton established up a meeting for sexual functions and was arrested when he arrived at the assembly location. On March 11, 2021, Thornton was convicted, but his 5-yr sentence was suspended because of to great conduct, according to courtroom paperwork.

Elizabeth Caroon, a spokeswoman for Chesterfield police, verified to a number of area stores that the division notified Fairfax County Public Schools, which is amid Virginia's most significant school districts, of Thornton's arrest immediately. The Virginia Point out Police registered him as a sexual intercourse offender just after his conviction.

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Thornton was arrested a next time just in advance of his dismissal in June, this time billed with solicitation of prostitution and frequenting a bawdy location. The former university counselor reported that he was set up by police in both equally arrests. Ahead of his occupation at Glasgow Center College, Thornton was a counselor and boys varsity basketball mentor from 2006 to 2020 in Hanover County's school system.

Nevertheless Thornton would not be fired until eventually a new superintendent dismissed him on Thursday. His employees site was deleted from the Glasgow Middle Faculty web site on July 28.

"There is no greater priority than the security of our pupils and, on behalf of the college board and myself, I want to make this extremely very clear: this whole condition is unacceptable from any perspective," Fairfax County General public Educational facilities Superintendent Michelle Reid wrote in a message to the families. "We are deeply anxious about how this took place in one of our faculties. I want to guarantee you that we are doing every little thing possible so this are not able to materialize yet again. I am committed to holding you updated on this challenge."

There are over 178,000 college students and 100,000 lecturers in the district, in accordance to school data.

Thornton will subsequent look in Chesterfield District Courtroom on Sept. 27.