FLORISSANT • A grade school teacher with Ferguson-Florissant schools was placed on leave Tuesday night after officials were notified he was accused of sexually assaulting a student while he was a teaching assistant in a neighboring school district three years ago.
Deonte Taylor, 35, of the 2600 block of Woodsage Drive in unincorporated St. Louis County, was charged Wednesday with
three counts of statutory sodomy. He allegedly took a 7-year-old boy out of class at Lusher Elementary School in the Hazelwood School District and sexually assaulted him on Nov. 13, 2015. Taylor’s DNA was found on the boy’s body and clothing, according to St. Louis County Circuit Court documents.
Florissant police investigated Taylor after school officials reported the victim’s allegation in 2015. The investigation “remained open and ongoing” until Taylor’s arrest this month, Officer Steve Michael said. He would not release more details, including when exactly Taylor’s DNA was found on the boy’s clothing.
“Due to new revelations in the case, officers were able to make an arrest,” he said Thursday.
“Due to the sensitivity of the case, we’re not able to release more information at this point.”
But a spokesman with the St. Louis County prosecuting attorney’s office said the Florissant detective investigating Taylor in 2015 left the department before the investigation was completed and it was left unresolved.
“Apparently no one finished the investigation until recently when the victim reported the incident again,” spokesman Ed Magee said.
Michael said the case was immediately assigned to another investigator after the detective left.
“When an officer leaves, the cases are picked right up,” he said. “The circumstance is that new information came forth and we were able to make an arrest.”
A Hazelwood schools spokeswoman said the assault allegation was immediately reported to police and the Missouri State Children’s Division in November 2015 and that Taylor was placed on leave. While waiting for the investigation to conclude, Hazelwood fired Taylor for reasons unrelated to the case, the spokeswoman, Kimberly Mackenzie, said.
The state children’s division reported the allegations against Taylor were unsubstantiated, and police provided no further information, Mackenzie said. Parents were not notified of Taylor’s dismissal because it was considered a personnel matter after he wasn’t charged, she said.
Earlier this month, the student allegedly sexually assaulted by Taylor in 2015 told a Hazelwood administrator about the incident and it was immediately again reported to police and state officials, Mackenzie said. The district found out Taylor had been charged through media reports Wednesday.
On Thursday, Ferguson-Florissant schools issued a statement about Taylor, who had been working as a fifth-grade teacher at Walnut Grove Elementary School.
The district’s Human Resource Services learned of the allegations against Taylor on Tuesday evening before he was charged, district spokesman Kevin Hampton said. Taylor was immediately contacted and told not to report to class Wednesday morning. He was placed on leave, Hampton said.
Administrators did not have sufficient information to share with parents until Wednesday evening, Hampton said. The district alerted parents of the allegations against Taylor on Thursday morning.
“We do not have any reason to believe that any of our students at Walnut Grove have been affected; however, out of an abundance of caution, we are contacting parents of students in the staff member’s class and asking them to report any concerns to the Children’s Advocacy Center,” Hampton said.
Florissant investigators have no reason to believe there other victims of Taylor’s but encouraged anyone with information to call Florissant police at 314-831-7000, Michael said.
This school year was Taylor’s second with the Ferguson-Florissant district and at Walnut Grove Elementary, Hampton said. Both of Taylor’s classes had fewer than 25 students, he said.
Hampton said the district had no previous warning of the police investigation of Taylor before they learned of the allegations against him Tuesday. A background check conducted before his hiring came back with no prior criminal history.
“Ferguson-Florissant School District always conducts background checks during the hiring process. This employee’s criminal and child abuse/neglect background check came back clear with no indication of prior criminal history. The district would not knowingly hire a potential employee who had a record of or had committed crimes against children.”
Hampton said the district contacted references about Taylor’s past employment.
“I don’t know which references would have been provided in this particular situation,” he said.
Hazelwood scrhools officials included the allegation and termination in Taylor’s employment file, Mackenzie said.
“On our file it actually says ‘do not rehire,’” she said.