A Wake County Public Schools employee is being held on a $1.5 million bond after being arrested on a sexual offense-related charge.

UPDATE: David Poole Hicks Jr. was convicted on Feb. 2, 2023, on a charge of obstructing justice. He was not convicted on the two counts of first-degree forcible sex offense. Hicks was given 24 months in the county jail to be followed by community service and probation.

DAVID POOLE HICKS JR

David Poole Hicks Jr., age 47, has been charged with two counts of first-degree forcible sex offense according to arrest records and a statement by the Wake County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO).

The charge is a Class B1 felony punishable by 144 months in prison to life without parole.

First Degree forcible sex offense is defined by state statute as any person who engages in a sexual act with another person by force and against the will of the other person, and does any of the following:
(1) Uses, threatens to use, or displays a dangerous or deadly weapon or an article which the other person reasonably believes to be a dangerous or deadly weapon.
(2) Inflicts serious personal injury upon the victim or another person.
(3) The person commits the offense aided and abetted by one or more other
persons.

Hicks was issued a $1.5 million secured bond and is currently being held in the Wake County Detention Center. His next court date is scheduled for Feb. 5.

Arrest records indicated the arrest occurred on Saturday, Jan. 16 at Hicks’ home in Garner. Arrest records with Raleigh CCBI indicate his age is 47, however, a press release by the WCSO says Hicks is 49.

The WCSO press release below was issued on Jan. 19:

Wake County Sheriff’s Office (WSCO) investigators have taken a Wake County man in custody and charged him with sexually assaulting a female acquaintance.

WCSO investigators were notified by WakeMed Hospital Police, on January 17, that one of their patients had reported being sexually assaulted by the suspect, at his Garner residence.

After consultation with the Wake County District Attorney’s Office, investigators arrested 49-year-old David Poole Hicks Jr., and charged him with two counts of Forceable Sex Offense.

Arrest warrants were issued for Hicks and he was taken into custody at his residence and booked into the Wake County Detention Center.

Hicks was hired by Wake County Public Schools in 2003 and is a “facilities maintenance technician.” He was suspended by the district this past Tuesday, Jan. 19.

There is a prior criminal record for Hicks, which arguably calls into question the thoroughness of background check by Wake County Public Schools.

Dec. 8, 2014, Hicks was charged with assault by pointing a gun, communicating threats, misdemeanor stalking under statute 14-277.3A(C), and cyberstalking. All of the charges saw “voluntary dismissal” by the Wake County district attorney’s office.

Hicks is the first non-teaching staff arrest tracked by this site in 2021.