A DeKalb County teacher accused of starting a fire Thursday night at the middle school where he worked had been placed on administrative leave a day earlier, officials said.
Antonio Bailey, 23, of Snellville, was booked into the DeKalb jail Friday on multiple charges, including arson, criminal damage to property and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, jail records show. He was released Sunday after posting bond.
Bailey is accused of starting a fire in the main office of Chapel Hill Middle School, DeKalb school officials confirmed in an email to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The day prior to his arrest, Bailey had been placed on administrative leave.
“DCSD Police conducted a criminal investigation into the gunfire and arson at Chapel Hill Middle. The investigation revealed evidence to secure a criminal arrest warrant,” a school district spokesperson said.
DeKalb school officials did not provide a reason for Bailey’s suspension, nor did they say if the teacher’s job status was connected to the circumstances around his arrest.
The school system did not provide further updates on Bailey’s case or whether his job status had changed as a result of the police investigation.
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