Former LeFlore teacher accused of having sex with a student

UPDATE: Zachary Calhoun, a former teacher at LeFlore High School accused of having sex with a student, has been placed on a leave of absence from his teaching position at Escambia County High School in Atmore, Ala.

George Brown, assistant superintendent of student services with the Escambia County school system in Brewton, Ala., released the following statement:

“The employee, Zachary Calhoun, was placed on a leave of absence Wednesday because we were made aware of the arrest in Mobile. He was a teacher at Escambia County High School. We did also notify the Alabama state department of education about his leave of absence.”

Brown gave no indication about how long Calhoun worked with the Escambia County Schools or whether he will be allowed to return to work.

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ORIGINAL STORY:

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - A former teacher at LeFlore High School is accused of having sex with a student.

Zachary Calhoun was arrested Tuesday morning after he was indicted by a Mobile County grand jury.

A Mobile County School Board member confirmed that the alleged victim brought it to the school system’s attention that she and Calhoun were sending inappropriate text messages to one another.

Following protocol, the school board terminated Calhoun’s employment immediately after finding out about the allegations.

The 30 year-old was booked into Metro around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday.

He bonded out on $27,500 about two hours later.

According to jail records, he was arrested by U.S. marshals.

Jail records also show he’s charged with two counts of school employee engaging in a sex act with a student. The Alabama code referencing this crime says “consent is not a defense”.

Calhoun is also charged with first-degree sexual abuse.

It’s unclear if there is more than one alleged victim.

FOX 10 News reached out to the Mobile County Public School System for a comment, this is the statement it provided:

“We were made aware of these allegations against Calhoun a year ago and turned the information over to the Child Advocacy Center and the Mobile Police Department. We took the appropriate action and terminated Calhoun immediately. We can’t say if it was a student at LeFlore.”

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