CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A middle school custodian is charged with sexual battery after a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools student filed allegations against him.

According to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office, 63-year-old Christopher Gordon was arrested on Monday.

A CMS spokeswoman said Gordon is a janitor at Community House Middle School in south Charlotte, which is where the incident allegedly happened.

A police report states Gordon allegedly hugged a 12-year-old student too tightly. Police sources say the charge stems from an incident in the first week of October when Gordon hugged the student so closely that she felt his genitals.

Gordon's wife attended his court appearance Tuesday and said his family supports him because it's not in his character to do what the girl alleges.

Parents at the middle school said they were surprised to learn about Gordon's arrest in a telephone message Monday night.

"I trust the school will handle it properly," one parent said.

Gordon has been suspended with pay pending the outcome of the police investigation.

Investigators are looking into whether anything similar has happened to other students.

Gordon is being held in the Mecklenburg County Jail on $15,000 secured bond.