An Atlanta, Georgia charter school administrator was placed on leave after being charged and arrested last month for having sex with a minor.
Ereco Lee Maddox, 46, faces two counts of sodomy and interference of child custody and one charge of child molestation, NBC News reported.
According to investigator Blake Livings, Maddox was arrested by the Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office on June 26.
Authorities allege Maddox met the underage individual on the dating app Grindr. He took the minor to a hotel, where he sexually assaulted the child.
According to its website, Maddox is the associate head of school at the Centennial Academy in Atlanta, a school that serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
“Centennial Academy is aware of allegations against Associate Head of School Ereco Maddox related to actions taken toward a minor in South Georgia,” Head of School Tequila Lamar said in a statement. “The school is not aware of any misconduct occurring on campus or involving Centennial Academy Scholars.”
“Although Mr. Maddox has not been formally convicted of any crimes, the school’s human resources and legal teams are presently conducting a full investigation,” the statement said. “As such, Mr. Maddox has been placed on administrative leave.”
A Grindr spokesperson pointed to the company’s terms of service, which prohibits minors from using the platform. “Grindr stands ready to support law enforcement’s investigation of the disturbing report from Colquitt County,” the statement said.
The victim’s sister woke up after midnight on the 26th and noticed her sibling was not home and told her mother. The victim returned home around 2:15 am and told her mother what took place at the hotel.
Livings did not specify the age or gender of the minor but did say the victim was younger than 16.
The minor’s mother contacted police around 3 am that morning, Livings said. She told investigators that she had seen a dark SUV near her home. A deputy on patrol saw the same vehicle during the early morning hours of June 26.
“The deputy asked the mother if it was a Cadillac Escalade, and the mom confirmed the vehicle she saw, dropping off her child, slowly riding past her house, was also a Cadillac Escalade. They were able to locate that vehicle at the hotel,” Livings said.
Deputies arrested Maddox at the hotel, Livings said. He was released from the Colquitt County Jail after posting a $16,000 bond.
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