Causey Parent: I Complained a year ago

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Another mother comes forward, claiming she complained to Causey Middle School officials about Charles Lewis' actions in the classroom over a year ago.

The Mobile County Public School System said an investigation is still under way as to what happened, and how it was handled.

When Charles Lewis, Jr. was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a child, Causey Middle School principal Mary Wood told FOX10 News she had never had any complaints against Lewis. Since Wood publicly denied knowledge of complaints against him, more parents have come forward claiming they did make Causey Middle authorities aware of alleged inappropriate activity involving Lewis.

Sam Bohannon is one parent who said she talked with Causey principals about specific events that concerned her son. She said she went to the principal in the middle of the school year in 2009. Bohannon said Lewis gave her son gifts, and that's when she went to the principal and complained. She said she asked for her son to be moved from the class, and school officials told her it couldn't be done.

"My son would come home with gifts that I thought was inappropriate like, well most teachers don't do, he came home with stationary one time from Mr. Lewis and I asked him to please don't accept gifts from him," Bohannon said.

Bohannon says Lewis never touched her child, but she was uncomfortable with the way he interacted with him.

"He told the kids that if they were really good he would take a small group of them to his beach house over the summer, without telling any parents," she added.

After hearing the reports about Lewis' arrest on January 12 for allegedly sexually abusing a 9-year-old boy, Bohannon was furious. She said she wished the school would have taken her seriously the first time she went to them with concerns.

"That should be brought forward and when I brought it they brushed it under the rug, they didn't want to talk about it, they did nothing," she said.

Bohannon said if school officials would have investigated Lewis the 9-year-old little boy may have been saved from harm.

"I thought oh my God, if they would have just shone some light on the situation last year, maybe this child wouldn't have gotten hurt, I mean I just wanted to cry it could have been my baby," Bohannon said.