3 years ago
A Montgomery County high school counselor now faces criminal charges for allegedly having sex with a student.
A grand jury indicted Carrie O'Conner Monday on a charge of sexual assault against a student by a school teacher or administrator.
Some people say punishment for the counselor has been a long time coming.
According to the indictment, O'Conner, who is 33, and the 16-year-old student allegedly had a sexual relationship from the beginning of January until the end of July.
Accordng to police, a student reported the abuse to a teacher and a probation officer working at the school in March.
The teacher and officer avoided reporting the incident to Montgomery schools superintendent Dale Clark because she is the counselor's mother, according to Mount Vernon chief of police B.L. Horne.
Horne says he turned the case over to the GBI.
O'Conner was suspended for a short time in March, but continued working at the school through the end of the year and returned as a counselor for the 2007 school year.
Members of the community say they are disappointed with the school board and superintendent.
Angela Bell of Mount Vernon says "How can this happen at our school? How can there be all this cover up stuff going on right here amongst our children?"
When the GBI requested all contact stop between O'Conner and the student last Tuesday, Principal Luke Smith sent a letter to the boy's parents.
He wrote that the boy would be sent to the alternative school until the GBI completed its investigation. Meanwhile O'Conner could remain counseling at the high school.
But on Wednesday, the school's lawyers said the student could return to school as long as he and O'Conner stayed separated.
On Monday, GBI investigators removed O'Connor from the school.
Tuesday, Carrie O'Connor was released from the Irwin County Detention Center on a $20,000 bond.
Montgomery superintendent Clark referred questions to the school district's attorney, who did not return phone calls Tuesday.
