Court documents obtained by ABC11 show Devon Murphy, 41, a teacher at Douglas Byrd High School, was arrested on Thursday for assault by strangulation and misdemeanor child abuse charges. Fayetteville Police Department said this was following an investigation into an assault of a student the high school.
The school district released a statement on Friday saying it is aware of the allegations and suspended Murphy with pay during the investigation.
"As soon as the situation was brought to our attention, we reported it to law enforcement and suspended the employee with pay, pending the outcome of the investigation," the district said.
In addition to serving as a teacher, the district said Murphy also served as the boys' varsity basketball coach.
Murphy was taken to Cumberland County Detention Center and received a $25,000 secured bond. He has since posted his bond.
This remains an active investigation.
The Fayetteville Police Department's Youth Services Unit encourages anyone who may have information regarding this investigation, or anyone who believes they have been victimized, to contact Detective Duncan at (910) 578-2597. Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Fayetteville / Cumberland County Crimestoppers by calling (910) 483-TIPS (8477), submitting an online tip at http://fay-nccrimestoppers.org, or through the free "P3 Tips" app available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
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