Teacher accused of sexual misconduct

Daily Globe ^ | Dec 20,2007 | Mark Vierthaler

[aft_lizard]

A 35-year-old Sacred Heart Cathedral School second-grade teacher was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of having sexual contact with a student at the school. Tabitha Adams is currently being held in the Ford County Detention Center on charges of sexual exploitation of a child, aggravated criminal sodomy and aggravated indecent liberties with a child. Her bond was set at $500,000, and her preliminary hearing was tentatively set for Dec. 27.

Adams, who has taught at the private Catholic school for the past three years, was arrested after the Dodge City Police Department presented the school's principal with a search warrant Monday.

The police seized several of Adams' personal items in the classroom, including her computer.

Dodge City Police Chief John Ball said the investigation of Adams began Friday after receiving a tip that the teacher had been sexually abusing a child. Ball said the investigation lasted over the weekend until the police had enough evidence for the warrant.

Adams was suspended shortly after her arrest, according to a statement released to parents Tuesday by the Catholic Diocese of Dodge City. The statement said the sexual activity most likely took place outside school time and did not involve any of Adams' students.

The Rev. Robert Schremmer, vicar general of the Dodge City Catholic Diocese, told the Globe that the child involved was a student at Sacred Heart. Schremmer said the child's parent had been alerted about what had taken place and was cooperating with the investigation.

Schremmer said the police department told him that no other students needed to be interviewed at present, because there was no reason to suspect other students were involved.

To help lessen the blow to the school, teachers and administrators are meeting with parents and students for counseling as necessary.

"We want to handle this delicately," Schremmer said. "We don't want to make this any more traumatic than it needs to be."

Church officials are stressing that Adams hasn't been convicted, so it's important not to place blame until the allegations have been proven. In the meantime, however, Sacred Heart is currently looking for a permanent replacement for Adams.

Schremmer said Adams' file was clean, and she had no documented history of sexual abuse. The diocese has a policy, he said, that all teachers and volunteers must undergo background checks before they are hired.

"We found nothing that would have raised any concerns," he said. Sacred Heart principal Laura Mead said the school wasn't aware that Adams was being investigated until Mead was presented with the search warrant Monday.

Neither the police department nor the church would release the victim's age or gender. Ball would not say whether the student was related to Adams.

Attempts to contact Adams at the detention center Wednesday were unsuccessful.

Dodge City attorney Linda Eckelman was appointed Wednesday afternoon to represent Adams.

Schremmer said the school would redouble its efforts to prevent future problems at the school.

"With what has happened within the church in the past, we need to be more vigilant than ever before," he said. "I would ask that people pray. We could all use the extra grace."

[aft_lizard]

[Just another Joe]

With a second grader?

Sick bi***.

[Bon mots]

To help lessen the blow to the school, teachers and administrators are meeting with parents and students for counseling as necessary.

So it was oral sex...

[wintertime]

ping

[Retired Greyhound]

Aw jeez, not this...again.

[reagan_fanatic]

Guilty.

[aft_lizard]

I just hope she doesn’t get some sort of plea deal, like whaty was fiven to my nieces kidnapper.
http://dodgeglobe.com/stories/011207/loc_20070112002.shtml

Galaviz, 27, was originally charged with aggravated criminal sodomy, aggravated indecent liberties with a child, attempted rape and criminal threat for the May 20, 2006, assault, plus seven misdemeanor charges for the subsequent chase. Under a plea agreement with a former assistant Ford County attorney, Galaviz pleaded guilty Oct. 18 to fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement officers, aggravated indecent liberties with a child and possession of methamphetamine.
...
“You’re not a young man who comes to this court with clean hands,” the judge said. “You come before this court with 34 previous misdemeanor and low-level felony convictions.”

____________
Justice in Dodge City is not what it used to be.

[r9etb]

With a second grader?

Apparently not: "The statement said the sexual activity most likely took place outside school time and did not involve any of Adams' students."

[day10]

Ping

[SampleMan]

What’s the big deal? Its not like she was eating her lunch with a steak knife.

[xtinct]

Convict and throw away the key... criminal !!!!

[PAR35]

In your link: "Galaviz now realized what he did was wrong, and he apologized."

Did the mother not want the child to take the stand? That's the only reason I could think of, other than really weak evidence, to agree to a deal that would keep the pervert out of prison.

[PAR35]

Since you seem to like stories like this, here’s one for your collection.

[redrunner]

Hey Tabitha... I guess it’s time for you to get out of Dodge...

[Just another Joe]

Ahh, I missed that sentence.

Thanks for the correction.

[Always Right]

Apparently not: "The statement said the sexual activity most likely took place outside school time and did not involve any of Adams' students."

You would think it would have to at least be a student who has reached puberty.

[aft_lizard]

No, she wanted to take the stand. The County attorneys screwed the pooch on this case.

[redrunner]

Statement regarding the arrest of Sacred Heart Cathedral School teacher On December 17, Sacred Heart Cathedral School, Dodge City, was made aware of an ongoing criminal investigation of a teacher at the school by the Dodge City Police Department. The school’s principal was served with a search warrant granting law enforcement personnel access to items located in a second grade classroom at the school, including electronic equipment and other items. The school fully cooperated with law enforcement in complying with these requests. The Catholic Diocese of Dodge City has since been made aware that Tabitha Adams, second grade teacher at the school, was arrested on suspicion of sexual exploitation of a child and aggravated endangerment of a child. Based on what little information has been provided by police investigators to the Diocese, it is currently believed that the charges involve conduct outside of school time and do not involve any of Ms. Adams’ students. School personnel are cooperating fully with law enforcement in the ongoing investigation. The policies of Sacred Heart Cathedral School and the Catholic Diocese of Dodge City as well as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Charter for the Protection of Young People are being followed in this matter. Ms. Adams, who has worked at the school for three years, has been placed on suspension pending the ongoing criminal investigation. School and Diocesan officials are in communication with law enforcement personnel, including the Dodge City Police Department and the Ford County Attorney’s office, and will provide additional information to school parents as it is able to do so. Bishop Ronald M. Gilmore asks us to hold everybody affected by this sad situation in prayer.

[redrunner]

Sacred Heart Cathedral School, Dodge City, KS

[PAR35]

I think I’d be out soliciting a defense attorney to run against the DA in the next election.