Georgia teacher accused of groping student allowed to return to work before arrest

BURKE COUNTY, Ga. — A Georgia teacher who was accused of groping a student was allowed to return to work before he was arrested, according to WRDW.

Scott Hooker, 40, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of improper sexual content by an employee, sexual battery and simple battery. He was a teacher at Burke County High School in Augusta, according to WJBF.

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According to WRDW, Hooker was accused of groping a 16-year-old girl whose mother later reported the incident to police. The victim said that for two weeks, Hooker had been hugging her from behind and tugging her hair while she was at lunch. On March 25, he hugged her, “causing his hands to rub across her breast area,” according to an incident report.

Hooker was placed on paid administrative leave on March 29 pending results of the investigation.

After the conclusion of the investigation, he was told he could return to work on April 10.

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“He was advised of the findings of the investigation, actions to be taken, and due process,” the Burke County School District said in a statement.

The district said that on Monday, they got notification of an ongoing investigation and that Hooker may be facing criminal charges.

“The employee was then instructed to work from home until further notice,” the district said. “That was his last day on campus.”

He was arrested two days later.

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Similar complaints were filed against Hooker in Feb. 2017 when he worked at Evans High School, though he was never charged, WRDW reported. Authorities were called again on April 2017.

He started teaching at Burke County High School in 2018.

According to the Burke County School System, he’s entitled to due process before unpaid leave is imposed.

“The school district would never knowingly compromise the safety and well-being of students,” Superintendent Dr. Angela Williams said in a statement. “Once the complaint was filed, the employee was immediately placed on administrative leave pending investigation and is not currently working on campus. We have cooperated fully with the appropriate governmental agencies in connection with this investigation and will continue to do so. Any additional information will be released by law enforcement.”

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