ROCKDALE COUNTY, Ga. — A now-former high school band director is in jail after he was accused of sexually assaulting a student.
Channel 2′s Tom Regan was at Rockdale County High School, where Jacques Jones used to work. Jones is accused of enticing a child into meeting up for sex.
Investigators say the encounter happened on Feb. 21 and began when Jones and the alleged victim met on social media. It quickly progressed.
The alleged victim did not attend the high school and the assault didn’t happen on campus, but investigators said Jones intentionally communicated with a child under age sixteen through social media and it quickly progressed to an encounter.
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“The adult male up with the minor and he brought the minor back to his residence here in Rockdale County and they engaged in a sexual act. And then after the sexual act, the minor was driven back home. And once he got home, he made an outcry to his mother. His mother called us and filed a report,” Rockdale County Sheriff’s Investigator Grote Levett said.
Investigators began digging into the case, and eventually filed charges against Jones.
They include aggravated sexual assault, and aggravated child molestation. He turned himself and remains jailed awaiting his first court appearance next week.
Both parents and a former student reacted to the arrested outside the school. One parent expressed sympathy for the alleged victim, who investigators say is under age 16.
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The sheriff’s office began investigating the incident in February and eventually filed charges against Jones including aggravated sexual battery and aggravated child molestation.
Jones turned himself in.
According to an online biography, Jones worked as a band director at the high school for five years.
A school representative said Jones is no longer employed with the school district and the allegations against him are not related to Rockdale County Public Schools.
Elsie Ortiz, the mother of a student at Rockdale High School, said she feels sorry for the alleged victim.
“For someone at that age, sometimes kids don’t communicate with their parents,” Ortiz said. “It’s heartbreaking. Because not all kids will run to (their)parents to say something like this.”
The Rockdale County School District released a statement about Jones on Wednesday afternoon reading:
“We are aware of the arrest of Jacques Jones; Mr. Jones is no longer an employee of Rockdale County Public Schools. While the allegations against Mr. Jones are not related to Rockdale County Public Schools, we expect all employees to conduct themselves with the highest ethical standards both professionally and privately.”
Jones will make his first appearance in court next week.
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