SCHOOL STAFFER GETS 20-YEARS FOR ENTICING A MINOR

Victim Lured off Campus, Given Alcohol, Coaxed into Sex

Atlanta- A Fulton County jury has returned a guilty verdict in the case against a former swimming instructor at Martin Luther King, Jr. middle school. 35-year old Charles Edward Clark, Jr., convicted late Thursday for Enticing a Child for Indecent Purposes and Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor, was immediately sentenced to 20-years behind bars for his crimes against a 15-year old student at his school.

On January 22, 2010, the student was in the pool area of the school where she had been assigned to perform cleaning tasks. Clarke approached the victim and asked her if she would like to leave the school premises. When the victim agreed, Clarke gave the girl instructions on leaving campus without being detected by surveillance cameras. The two then walked to a nearby ATM where the defendant withdrew money for transportation to a hotel room on Fulton Industrial Boulevard. The defendant then gave the victim marijuana to smoke and urged her to drink nearly two full bottles of liquor. The defendant then engaged in sexual activity with the teenager before she passed out. When the victim awakened, Defendant Clark gave her money to catch a bus home. The student later reported the incident to another school staffer, prompting Clark’s arrest.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Jerry Baxter presided over the case.

Senior Assistant District Attorney Michele McCutcheon of the Crimes Against Women and Children unit led the prosecution with assistance from ADA John Caldwell and DA Investigator Cindy Williamson. Detective T.N. Pritchett of the Fulton County Police Department led the preliminary investigation.

Media Contact: Yvette Brown, 404-224-0560/404-392-8867, yvette.brown@fultoncountyga.gov