Jones County teacher charged with child molestation after incident at middle school

A Jones County teacher has been charged with child molestation after an investigation into an incident “involving inappropriate contact of students,” authorities say.

W. Tate Wilson was being held Friday at the Jones County Sheriff’s Office, with other charges pending, Sheriff Butch Reece posted on the agency’s Facebook page.

The incident happened at Clifton Ridge Middle School, said Jones County sheriff’s Maj. Earl Humphries, who declined to elaborate.

Wilson is a seventh-grade English language arts teacher at the school, according to the Jones County School System’s website.

When the sheriff’s office was notified of the incident, “Wilson was immediately removed from all campuses and a criminal investigation was initiated,” Reece said in Facebook post.

“It is our hope to conduct a thorough and complete investigation based on facts in regards to any child that may or may not be involved,” Reece said. “We have been working closely with the school system and conducting numerous interviews which take time.”

Jones County School Superintendent Charles Gibson said in a brief statement that the matter was turned over to the sheriff’s office immediately when it came to the attention of the school system and that no comments would be made regarding the issue in light of the sheriff’s investigation.

“Please be assured that our primary goal remains ... the safety of all students, faculty and staff,” Gibson said in the release.

The sheriff’s office has been in contact with the parents of children affected so far, Reece said in the release.

Anyone one with any additional information on this case is asked to contact the Jones County Sheriff’s Office at 478-986-3489.

This story was originally published January 25, 2019 at 5:54 PM.