Two teachers at a small private Christian school in Georgia have been charged with sexually abusing the same student.
Bonnie Elizabeth Brown, aged 25, and Sherri Delle Mauldin, aged 60, have been accused of committing several serious offenses while working as teachers at Nathanael Greene Academy, a K-12 school located in rural Siloam, as reported by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) on Monday.
Brown is reportedly a former homecoming queen at the school, where she attended in 2016.
“These women took advantage of their positions as my teachers,” the victim told 11 Alive through a statement by attorney Ashley Mitchell.
Brown was taken into custody on a Friday after authorities uncovered evidence suggesting that she had engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior with a student while employed at the school. At the time of her arrest, Brown was teaching at an elementary school in Wilkes County. She now faces charges for engaging in improper sexual contact as an employee, representative, or caregiver.
Mauldin was also arrested on Monday following an investigation by the GBI, which concluded that she had similarly committed acts of sexual misconduct against the victim while working at the same school. Mauldin has been charged with improper sexual contact in her capacity as an employee, representative, or caregiver, in addition to counts of aggravated child molestation and statutory rape.
“I am relieved that these two women have been arrested and the crimes are being fully investigated,” the victim said in a statement.
“These women took advantage of their positions as my teachers. My school did not protect me as a child. I see that now, and I hope that these arrests will protect our community and children in it.”
Mitchell said that one of the teachers had been previously reprimanded for inappropriate conduct with the student. The attorney suggested that there could be more victims and stressed the difficulties victims face when coming forward.
“Students who are being groomed by teachers are in a very difficult situation,” she said. “It’s not until they’re removed from the situation and have the opportunity to process what happened that they feel comfortable speaking out.”
Nathanael Greene Academy released a statement Monday evening acknowledging that the school’s administration and Board of Trustees were aware of the arrests of the two former employees. The school said it will cooperate with the investigation.
Check back for updates.
[Feature Photo: Mayldin and Brown/Greene County Sheriff’s Office]
