A Newton County math teacher was arrested on a child molestation charge last week after a parent complained that her child received inappropriate messages from their “mentor,” authorities said.
Winfred Lewis Akins, 47, was taken into custody at his Covington home Friday and charged with one count each of child molestation and computer or electronic pornography, according to the Newton County Sheriff’s Office. Both charges are felonies, jail records show.
Few details about the case have been released, but school district spokeswoman Sherri Davis confirmed that Akins taught seventh grade math at Liberty Middle School. He resigned from the district Thursday.
“We are aware that Mr. Akins has been arrested by law enforcement and is now in custody,” Davis said in an emailed statement. “The Newton County School System is cooperating fully with the Newton County Sheriff’s Office as they conduct their investigation.”
Akins had worked for the district since July 2018, officials said. It wasn’t immediately clear Thursday evening whether the case involves one of his former students.
According to an incident report obtained by AJC.com, the criminal investigation began Aug. 11 after deputies received a call about a possible child molestation.
“Upon arriving on scene I met with the complainant and she stated her child received inappropriate messages from her child’s mentor,” the deputy wrote.
Investigators were told the incident occurred between Dec. 15 and Dec. 20 of last year, according to the report. Detectives seized a Macbook computer and an iPhone as evidence, and the Division of Family and Children Services was notified of the allegations.
Akins remains held at the Newton County Jail without bond, records show.
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