A former Union County Public Schools teacher has been arrested on almost half a dozen felony charges stemming from communications with a minor student through social media that involved sexually graphic images and videos.

Alexander Edward Dewsbury, age 29, of Columbia, South Carolina, was arrested and charged on June 17 with multiple sexually related felonies that include:

• Two counts First Degree Sex Exploitation of a Minor (44-182 month sentence each)
• Two counts Second Degree Sex Offense Exploitation of a Minor (16-63 month sentence each)
• One count Indecent Liberties With Student (13-12 month sentence)

ALEXANDER DEWSBURY

According to reports, an SBI agent, the Union County Sheriff, and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division coordinated to arrest Dewsbury. Dewsbury bonded out of custody around 5 p.m. on the same day he was arrested. The amount of the bond is unclear at this time.

The charges date to 2018 when Dewsbury was a teacher at Porter Ridge High school located in Indian Trail in Union County. Even though he no longer lives in the state, he will still face the charges in Union County.

The Union County School district has not yet commented on the case.

The teaching license on file in North Carolina for Dewsbury expired in June of 2019 in the area of Earth Science 9-12.  He is the fourteenth North Carolina public education employee arrest tracked by this website in 2021.

Dewsbury’s case is still active. Anyone with information is asked to call the Union County Sheriff’s Office at 704- 283-5600 or via email at: crimestoppers@unioncountync.gov.

Earlier in June, another Union County teacher was arrested on indecent liberties charges.

Cory McDowell, age 35, was arrested on June 9 by the Monroe Police Dept. and was charged with one count of taking indecent liberties with a student.

Police are asking that anyone with information relevant to McDowell’s case should call the Monroe Police Department at (704) 282-4700.