Investigators said the educator made ‘substantial steps toward the commission of sexual assault’ of a 16-year-old girl. A co-worker advised Butler to stop communicating with the teen, but he ignored the warning, authorities said. Instead, he bought a new phone to hide that he was still texting her. — Photo by Selwyn van Haaren on Unsplash
A Georgia teacher is charged after having inappropriate contact with a student that lasted for months, police say.
Eric Taylor Butler was arrested Wednesday, Oct 4, and charged with sexual assault by a teacher, principal, assistant principal or other administrator, according to Cobb County Jail records.
Butler, who teaches at Harrison High School in Kennesaw, is also charged with solicitation of sodomy, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by McClatchy News.
He was booked and released the same day after posting a US$55,220 (RM260,555) bond, records show.
Butler was previously listed as a social studies teacher and assistant baseball coach, WAGA reported, but has since been scrubbed from the school’s website.
Investigators said the educator made “substantial steps toward the commission of sexual assault” of a 16-year-old girl. He knew she was a student and spoke with her on the phone and via text for nearly five months, according to the affidavit.
A co-worker advised Butler to stop communicating with the teen, but he ignored the warning, authorities said. Instead, he bought a new phone to hide that he was still texting her.
Butler told the student to call him “daddy” or “d1”, and he would call her “mommy” or “m1”, the affidavit says. The two had “sexually explicit” conversations and often met before school or in the cafeteria.
Authorities said the inappropriate conduct began in June and continued as recently as Oct 2. Butler is also accused of meeting the teen at a Starbucks at least twice last week.
Cobb County School District officials released a statement on the matter.
“We are cooperating and working closely with the authorities to conclude the investigation and will continue to work hard every day to ensure our campuses are secure and a safe place for students to learn and grow,” a district spokesperson told McClatchy News in a statement.
In a letter to parents, Principal Ashlynn Campbell called the allegations disturbing and said administrators are working to support “the alleged victim in every possible way”, WXIA reported.
Kennesaw is about 30 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta. – The Charlotte Observer/Tribune News Service
