Former Wake County teacher charged with sex offense with student
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- A former Broughton High School teacher has been charged with a sex crime involving a student.
The teacher is no longer at Broughton. The Wake County School District tells ABC11 he resigned right before he was arrested.
Ronald Lee Chewning, 25, of Raleigh, was arrested Friday and charged with felony sex offense with a student.
Chewning is accused of having sex with one of his students. An investigator says it was happening for months, from December 2014 until February 2015.
Police say the student involved is a 17-year-old female and the offenses did not happen at the school.
Chewning had just started at Broughton this school year and was a scientific and technical visualization teacher.
"It's weird. It's very unusual. It's kind of strange he works at school and would do something like that," said Broughton Senior Adaira Brewer.
Wake County Public School System says school officials are fully cooperating with police during the investigation.
"All our staff upholds an obligation to report any possible information we may have about this charge. We have and will continue to fully comply with that obligation. We are currently conducting an internal investigation of the incident," said spokesperson Lisa Luten.
The news shocked many Broughton High School students.
"It's kind of disturbing," said Brewer.
Some of Chewning's neighbors in his Raleigh apartment complex are also stunned.
"It's hard to imagine he's been living here," said neighbor David Morrison.
Parents were informed of the arrest before it made the news.
"We teach our kids about predators as they are growing up but we don't necessarily that the predators may be in their schools teaching them," said parent Kelly Hand. "So that's, I think that's the shock factor."
The district said guidance counselors are available to students who need support.
Monday, Chewning asked the judge to lower his $50,000 bond. The judge refused saying his court appointed attorney can address that.
