CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — A recently retired Clayton County teacher has been accused of sex crimes against a first-grade student, but records show complaints against him date back to 2001.
Channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne spoke with the victim’s mother and the suspect, William Zerressen.
The mother explained that when her young daughter began experiencing problems so serious she took her to a psychologist.
Last year, the daughter disclosed to cousins that she had been abused, which led to criminal charges against Zerressen and the discovery of longstanding allegations.
“Knowing the things he made my daughter do, it’s hard to sleep at night,” the mother said.
Zerressen denied the allegations, saying, “It’s totally untrue. It’s slander.”
The mother continued, “If all these allegations came back since 2001, this man should not have been a teacher at that school.”
The family’s attorney, Kyle Wallace, added, “The school system needs to answer a whole lot of questions.”
The mother said she dropped her then 6-year-old daughter off at Kemp Primary School in Clayton County for first grade in 2017. Years later, she learned about the alleged abuse by Zerressen.
“I feel angry. I feel hurt. I feel betrayed,” the mother said.
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Last month, a judge found probable cause to issue arrest warrants for aggravated child molestation, aggravated sodomy, and enticing a child for indecent purposes.
“I’m innocent of these despicable allegations. They’re just ridiculous. They’re unfounded,” Zerressen said.
The mother discovered a suicide note in her by-then 13-year-old daughter’s lunchbox this year. The note revealed the extent of the trauma her daughter felt.
“She said she felt dirty for what he had been doing to her,” the mother explained.
The mother then learned that the Clayton County school system had received numerous complaints about Zerressen starting in 2001.
“The school failed her,” the mother stated.
A Clayton County Public Schools letter to Zerressen in 2022 referenced trends in student complaints. It detailed allegations from 2001, 2003, and 2022, describing inappropriate touching.
The letter also indicated that Zerressen claimed an assistant principal told him the students planned the allegations together. Zerressen told Winne he was cleared of any wrongdoing.
Kyle Wallace pointed out, “There’s a long pattern of allegations against this teacher. There’s no pattern of any discipline.”
Wallace stated the 2001 and 2003 episodes involved Lake Ridge Elementary, and records showed insufficient evidence according to the school system. He commended Clayton County school police for their work on his client’s case but noted that police were not called to investigate the incidents in 2001, 2003, or 2022.
“It looks like a whole lot more should have been done,” Wallace said.
Zerressen firmly denied ever touching a child inappropriately.
The mother said that God and therapy have been helping her and her daughter recover.
“Prayer, lots of prayer,” she said.
In 2023, Zerressen received a letter congratulating him on his retirement. An emailed statement from the school district acknowledged the allegations against the former employee but declined to comment due to the sensitivity of the matter, reaffirming their commitment to student safety and security.
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