Assistant principal accused of sex crime against student while off campus, NC cops say

An assistant principal at a North Carolina middle school was arrested this week on charges of a sex act with a student, deputies say.

James Kelly, 39, was taken into custody following an investigation by the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit, according to an Aug. 8 news release. He was arrested in High Point, North Carolina, and is being held on a $50,000 bond.

He began his position as assistant principal at Southern Alamance Middle School this June, the Alamance-Burlington School System said in a statement.

“We are deeply troubled by the recent arrest of one of our Assistant Principals for alleged misconduct with a student,” school officials wrote.

They called it a “profound breach of trust.”

Investigators said the sex act did not occur on school property. The assistant principal is still suspended without pay as of Aug. 9, according to the district.

A spokesperson at the sheriff’s office told McClatchy News the survivor was a high school student.

The sheriff’s office began investigating after getting a tip that inappropriate conduct may have been occurring, the spokesperson said.

Additional charges could potentially be filed during the investigation, the spokesperson said. As of Aug. 9, deputies said they do not know of any other students who involved.

The sheriff’s office did not share details on when the reported sex acts occurred.

Kelly “was part of the Superintendent’s administrative reassignment,” district officials said.

He was previously the assistant principal at the Southern Alamance High School, which is on the same property as the middle school.

Kelly has been employed by the district since 2011, WGHP reported. Over the course of his tenure, he was an exceptional children’s teacher, a tutor and an assistant football coach at Southern Alamance High School.

Another Southern Alamance Middle School teacher was arrested in April on similar charges of sex acts. During the course of the investigation, he was charged with 12 counts of felony indecent liberties with students and children, according to records from the sheriff’s office.

Deputies do not believe the incidents are related.

In its statement, the district wrote that “any victim of misconduct will be treated with compassion and concern.”

Alamance County is about 60 miles northwest of Raleigh.

This story was originally published August 9, 2023 at 3:50 PM with the headline "Assistant principal accused of sex crime against student while off campus, NC cops say."