ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — A former teacher with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is being held on a $1 million bond after being charged with numerous child sex crimes in St. Louis, Channel 9 learned Tuesday.
According to police in St. Louis, Missouri, 48-year-old Cedric Gerald was arrested for sexual trafficking of a child, sexual exploitation of a minor, possession of child pornography, attempted statutory sodomy, sexual contact with a student, and more.
Police say Gerald was a principal at a middle school in the St. Louis area, and he’s accused of assaulting at least six students.
Channel 9’s Jonathan Lowe spoke with Grant Boyd, an attorney with the O’Brien Law Firm, who will be representing those alleged victims.
“We’re going to look at every single district to see how far this goes back when this should have stopped,” said Boyd.
Boyd said four of those victims filed reports with the Saint Louis Prosecutor’s Office and accused Gerald of inappropriate conduct while he was principal.
“He met them in the school setting and utilized his position within the school setting to gain access to them and gain their trust,” said Boyd. “Things like inappropriate messages, inappropriate requests, and requests to engage in sexualized behavior.”
Furthermore, investigators said the victims have alleged that Gerald engaged in sexual acts at the school.
Boyd said his law firm and the Simon Law Firm, P.C., is working to maintain the victim’s rights throughout the criminal process.
“Including looking at what the districts did and didn’t do that caused this situation,” said Boyd. “If someone had done something, potentially a bunch of children could have been saved.”
CMS confirmed that Gerald was a teacher with the district from August 2000 to July 31, 2013, when he resigned from the district. He taught at Olympic High School, Cato Middle College High School, and West Mecklenburg High School. No disciplinary actions were listed in his personnel file with CMS.
“Our information is that his conduct also may have spanned back to North Carolina at one or more of the districts that he worked there,” said Boyd.
It’s not clear if Gerald is accused of crimes in Mecklenburg County.
This is a developing story, and we’re working on getting more details. Check back for updates.
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