Concord band teacher accused of trying to meet child online for sex, deputies say

CONCORD, N.C. — Two teachers were fired from a school in Concord and are facing criminal charges following an investigation by the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies said Jeremy Flock, 42, is accused of trying to meet a child online for sex. He was instead met by undercover detectives. Flock was arrested Feb. 21 and charged with solicitation of a child by a computer.

Flock worked as a band teacher at the Carolina International School in Concord for six years, but the school said they initially suspended him, and then later fired him.

“We just want to assure the parents and community that we are cooperating fully with the investigation,” said Dr. Paul Bryant, the head of the school.

Investigators said Flock thought he was communicating online with a child under the age of 16, but he was actually in contact with detectives. Deputies said Flock made plans to meet up for sex and actually showed up. He was then arrested.

Flock was also charged with second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor after authorities said he had child pornography with him at the time of his arrest.

“No, no. They did not indicate that. There is no reason to believe that anyone at the school was involved,” Bryant told Channel 9′s Gina Esposito.

Investigators also charged Flock with felony possession of methamphetamine. He is being held at the Cabarrus County Detention Center with bail set at $250,000.

On March 16, Flock’s attorney requested a bond reduction but a judge denied it. Flock remains in jail.

Bryant sent out an email on Feb. 22 notifying families about Flock. The email also said another teacher at the school has been suspended for a separate sheriff’s office investigation involving “illegal drug possession and other offenses.”

Bryant sent another message to families on Feb. 25 saying, in part, “Both teachers were terminated from CIS today and permanently banned from the campus and all related events.”

Former student Isabelle Kaemmerlen credits Flock, who was her music teacher in elementary school, for supporting her talents.

(In the video below, Channel 9 speaks with Isabelle and her father about Flock and his arrest.)

Ch. 9 interviews former student of Concord band teacher accused of child sex crimes

She said Flock went above and beyond to attend a performance outside of school.

“I would say he was very nice,” Isabelle Kaemmerlen told Channel 9′s Erika Jackson. “He was very encouraging. He was very passionate about music.”

She continued, “I replay that night in my mind and I still don’t think that there was any bad thoughts in his head.”

Isabelle Kaemmerlen saw Flock’s mug shot after the arrest.

“I think he has changed a lot,” she said. “Just by looking at his mug shot, he looks very different from when I had him.”

Her father said he thought highly of Flock until he heard about the alleged crimes.

“Kind of made me think, when did that sort of behavior start?” Joe Kaemmerlen said. “Was it a response to the pandemic lockdown?”

They are thankful Flock was caught and grateful for the efforts made by law enforcement.

“Absolutely great job. Fan-freaking-tastic,” Joe Kaemmerlen said.

Deputies said Jason Schultz, who lived at the same house as Flock, was charged with felony possession of methamphetamine. Schultz is being held in the Cabarrus County Detention Center with bail set at $15,000.

Bryant said the school is reviewing files from both teachers to see if there were red flags school officials missed.

“They have been banned from the campus and their access to all the campus resources. Their internet access, other things, email, all of that has also been suspended,” Bryant said.

Officials said Flock could face additional charges.

Channel 9 also learned Flock was involved with Mt. Olivet United Methodist Church in Kannapolis. The church sent the following statement to Channel 9 regarding Flock’s arrest:

“Mt. Olivet United Methodist Church has been informed that a member of our staff, Jeremy Flock has been arrested. When we learned of these charges, we took immediate steps to suspend Jeremy Flock pending the results of our internal investigation. To our knowledge, these charges are unrelated to his work with our choir ministry. We will cooperate fully with the investigation of local law enforcement authorities.

“Providing a safe environment for everyone at our church is our highest priority. We follow the United Methodist Church’s Safe Sanctuary procedures, including background screening, to ensure the safety of children involved with our church ministries. These policies were followed and we are unaware of any incidents related to Jeremy at our church. Our prayers go out to everyone involved.

“Rev. Neal Jones”

No other details have been released at this point.

This is an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office at 704-920-3000.

(WATCH BELOW: ONLY ON 9: Cabarrus County investigators take down online sexual predators)

ONLY ON 9: Cabarrus County investigators take down online sexual predators

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