Forsyth County elementary school teacher arrested on child porn, sexual exploitation charges

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Deputies arrested a Forsyth County elementary school teacher accused of child porn possession and sexual exploitation of children.

On April 14, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office said it received a tip from the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children connecting teacher James Andrew “Drew” Cecil of Cumming to several charges.

Detectives obtained nine warrants for possession of child pornography and one warrant for sexual exploitation of children. They arrested Cecil on Friday.

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Cecil had taught fourth grade at Poole’s Mill Elementary School since 2021. He previously taught and coached volleyball at North Forsyth High School from 2016-2021.

Parents picking up children after school called Cecil’s arrest upsetting.

“A little shocked of course, but that’s the wrong person to be working in an elementary school, for sure,” said parent Kelly Norton.

“It kind of strikes fear, because you think you’re doing everything in your best interest to make sure that the kids are safe and away from every kind of trouble,” said parent Mo Oguwnusi.

The school district said he had not been at the school since the allegations were made on April 14.

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In court documents about a child custody dispute involving Cecil and his ex-wife, a 20-year-old woman said she had a sexual relationship with Cecil when she was a minor and planned to report him to law enforcement.

Cecil was removed from the classroom when the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office learned of the accusation.

Those same documents also say Cecil and his wife moved to Georgia from Kentucky after Cecil resigned from his teaching job for “having inappropriate text conversations” with a 14-year-old girl.

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After the investigation and his arrest, Cecil is no longer employed by the district.

No children from the Forsyth County School District were involved in this investigation, deputies say. The district said they would continue to work with deputies on this investigation.

Parents, guardians, and former students with information on Cecil and his charges are asked to contact the sheriff’s office.

Deputies took Cecil to the Forsyth County Jail, where he was being held on a $55,200 bond.

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