A former Caldwell County Public Schools teacher is facing an indecent liberties charge.

NO MUGSHOT PROVIDED

John Sullivan, age 46, was arrested and charged with taking indecent liberties with a student. The charge is a felony.

No mugshot was made available.

According to charging documents, the allegation goes back to the time period when Sullivan worked as a science teacher at Hibriten High School in Lenoir in 2018. The alleged offense occurred in December of that year.

Prior to the district becoming aware of charges against him, Sullivan asked to be transferred from the high school to Kings Creek Elementary. At the elementary, he had been working as a media coordinator. There are no current allegations linked to the elementary school at this time.

Sullivan was first hired by Caldwell County Schools in Aug. 2005.

When Sullivan was arrested, he was already on suspension, according to Caldwell school officials. He later resigned.

Here’s the timeline related to Sullivan’s suspension and resignation:

• Nov. 18 – Sullivan was placed on leave with pay pending an undescribed disciplinary investigation.
• Dec. 20 – Sullivan was suspended without pay. Per the district, the superintendent made a recommendation for dismissal to the school board.
• Dec. 30 – Sullivan resigned from his position.

It is unclear if Sullivan’s case has been reported by Caldwell County Schools to the State Board of Education as required by state statute, but the district has indicated they are working with law enforcement and the state board.

There are multiple John Sullivans listed as having NC teaching licenses in the state’s database. Only one has the relevant topic areas of science k-12 and related computer/media fields. The license for that individual will expire in June of this year unless revoked beforehand.

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