Ex-DeKalb teacher charged with child molestation

A former DeKalb County teacher has been denied bond in connection with charges that he provided alcohol to and molested three young students at Millers Preparatory Academy for Boys, authorities said Thursday.

Casey Thomas, 34, is being held in DeKalb County Jail. He is charged with seven criminal counts, including aggravated child molestation, aggravated sodomy, cruelty to children and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

The incidents occurred from December to April while Thomas was teaching at Millers Prep, according to DeKalb district attorney spokesman Erik Burton.

Details of the incidents were not released.

DeKalb County police told Channel 2 Action News that one victim and his family came forward with allegations against the teacher on May 3, and an investigation led to the other victims.

Two victims are 15, and one is 16, police said. All are males.

DeKalb police arrested Thomas on July 8. He appeared for a bond hearing Wednesday in DeKalb Superior Court.

“These allegations outline an extremely serious and disturbing crime,” District Attorney Robert D. James said in a news release. “We take these allegations very seriously and will work diligently to ensure justice is served.”

The website for Millers Prep describes the school, founded in 1995, as a military academy that “provides young men in the metropolitan Atlanta area with an opportunity to develop leadership skills."

Efforts were made Thursday to reach a spokesman for the academy.