Christian school employee texted student he wanted to have sex with her, SC cops say
An employee at a Christian school in South Carolina was arrested for sending texts with sexual messages and pornographic images to a juvenile student, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office said.
Andre Girard Johnson, a coach at Sumter Christian School, was charged with criminal solicitation of a minor, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
The 54-year-old Dalzell resident was arrested March 20, Sumter County court records show.
On March 15, the school’s administration contacted law enforcement and reported that Johnson was sending inappropriate text messages to the victim, who is a juvenile enrolled at the school, according to the sheriff’s office. The victim’s age was not available.
School officials told a deputy that the victim said she reported the text messages because they made her feel uneasy. The deputy also learned that the messages included Johnson expressing that he wished to have sex with the individual, as well as pornographic images, the sheriff’s office said.
Johnson surrendered to deputies and was released from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center after posting a $5,000 surety bond, according to the release.
Once charges were filed, Johnson was terminated by the school, a Sumter Christian spokesman told The State Monday.
After the juvenile came forward, the sheriff’s office said that deputies conducted an investigation to ensure the integrity of the case, the safety of the students and to learn if there were any other victims. The sheriff’s office said no other victims have been discovered, and the school spokesman said he has not been told that any more have been identified.
If convicted on the felony charge, Johnson faces a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison and a $5,000 fine, according to South Carolina law.
Johnson is not listed on the South Carolina sex offender registry.
This is the second time an employee of a school in Sumter County has been arrested for sex crimes involving a minor in the past two months.
On April 6, Crestwood High School girls basketball coach Tony Wilson, 54, was charged with third-degree assault and battery, criminal sexual conduct with a minor, two counts of unlawful dissemination of obscene material to a person under 18, and two counts of criminal solicitation of a minor, the sheriff’s office said.
Wilson was taken to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center and was later released on a $75,000 bond, the sheriff’s office said. A Sumter County School District spokeswoman said that Wilson resigned on April 6.
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This story was originally published April 24, 2023 at 1:21 PM with the headline "Christian school employee texted student he wanted to have sex with her, SC cops say."
