Authorities: Baldwin County teacher had relationship with student

Baldwin County High School’s assistant band director was arrested Wednesday and charged with having an inappropriate relationship with one of his female students.

David Cheek, 26, is being held in the Baldwin County jail on one count of sexual assault by someone with supervisory or disciplinary authorization, said sheriff’s Capt. Brad King. The investigation began after several allegations surfaced this week.

“Two students actually spoke to a teacher about their concerns,” King said. “That was late, late Monday afternoon.”

Baldwin High placed Cheek on administrative leave Tuesday, King said.

Tuesday evening, the father of the juvenile victim contacted the sheriff’s office alleging an inappropriate relationship between Cheek and his daughter.

“Basically, she got in trouble for not being somewhere she was supposed to be, or somewhere she said she’d be,” King said. “Once the parents realized ... she, apparently, was covering something up, they moved on it rather quickly and figured out something wasn’t right.”

Shortly after the father alerted the sheriff’s office, the high school’s resource officer reported the same allegation.

The Baldwin sheriff’s office began investigating Wednesday morning, along with the state’s Division of Family and Children Services.

“Through the investigation we found that a teacher and a juvenile student did, in fact, have a boyfriend/girlfriend type relationship,” King said.

King said he went to interview the school’s principal Wednesday at the board of education office and saw Cheek, who had just resigned in lieu of termination.

King said he asked Cheek to follow him to the sheriff’s office, where he was questioned and charged about 3 p.m. King said the interviews told a consistent story. The relationship lasted from four to six weeks and was consensual.

“He was upset,” King said of Cheek.

Cheek lived in Milledgeville and had been working at the school about two years, King said. He had no prior criminal record.

“We do not believe that any of this behavior took place on campus,” King said.

Baldwin school Superintendent Noris Price said in a statement that the district is conducting its own investigation and had no other comment.

King, who has worked at the sheriff’s office for 18 years, said he remembers two similar cases in the county over the past decade. One was about a decade ago and the other was about five years ago.

If convicted, Cheek could face a sentence lasting from one to 25 years. Bond had not been set as of Thursday evening.

To contact writer Laura Corley, call 744-4382.

This story was originally published October 23, 2014 at 4:59 PM with the headline "Authorities: Baldwin County teacher had relationship with student ."