A DeKalb County School District teacher faces termination pending the outcome of an investigation into an attempted molestation of a 13-year-old boy at Perimeter Mall, district officials said.
Dunwoody police last week released surveillance footage of a man they were hoping to identify in connection with the Aug. 4 incident.
RELATED: Man accused of trying to molest 13-year-old boy in Perimeter Mall bathroom
DeKalb County School District officials said the teacher, who works at Tucker Middle School, saw video of the incident and notified the district. He was immediately placed on administrative leave. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is not naming the teacher because formal charges have not been filed.
“Throughout the weekend, (DeKalb County School District) Public Safety worked swiftly with the City of Dunwoody Police Department, and provided information to assist in their investigation of the alleged incident at Perimeter Mall,” district officials said. “The allegations, if verified and true, will lead to immediate termination.”
UPDATE: @DeKalbSchools confirms the man under investigation is a teacher at #Tucker Middle. We aren't naming him because formal charges haven't yet been filed. https://t.co/TneZ6aczhs
— Mike Petchenik (@Mike_Petchenik) August 19, 2019
Police said the teen was washing his hands in a bathroom when a man standing next to him began asking inappropriate questions. He then lured him into the bathroom stall, locked the door and reached for the boy’s pants, police said.
Channel 2 Action News reported the victim managed to escape and run to his parents, who were waiting outside the restroom. The teenager’s father began chasing the suspect out of the mall, but the man escaped.
Police released surveillance footage of the suspect walking in the mall. Sgt. Robert Parsons told Channel 2 the suspect may have been stalking the victim through several stores before following him into the bathroom.
