PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A former teacher with the Northview Public School District was officially charged Tuesday morning for allegedly sexually assaulting a student more than two decades ago.
The Kent County Sheriff's Office announced the arrest of 51-year-old James Patrick Christians from Cannon Township on Monday, Feb. 5.
According to a court affidavit obtained by FOX 17, the Sheriff's office was contacted on February 1 about the potential abuse.
Investigators met with a woman later that day that outlined alleged abuse at the hands of Christians when she was just 13-years-old.
As an eighth grader at Crossroads Middle School, the girl recalls allegedly meeting up with Christians "numerous times".
Christians is accused of sexually assaulting the girl on at least two separate occasions.
According to court records, the woman place a call to Christians while investigators were present.
On the call, "James made references of something occurring during this time frame," according to the documents.
Detectives interviewed Christians on February 3 at the Sheriff's office.
"During the interview James admitted to penetrating the victim's ______ with his finger during the 1998-1999 school year. He also admitted to performing ____ ___ on the victim at some time around 2000-2001 at her father's residence," the documents claim.
The sheriff's office tells FOX 17 that the allegations were made after the woman, now 38, had a conversation with her daughter about body safety and felt compelled to come forward.
Tuesday morning, Christians was arraigned on two counts of criminal sexual conduct in the first degree.
If convicted, he could face the possibility of life in prison.
While Christians appeared in court Tuesday morning via a live video feed from the Kent County Jail, his wife and son were present with his attorney Frank Stanley, in a conference room on Stanley's respective video feed.
"My client has no prior criminal history," Stanley said regarding Christians Tuesday.
"He learned of this problem Saturday morning when he was visited by two Kent County Sheriff's Detectives, he cooperated with them, and accompanied them down to the Kent County Sheriff's Department where he agreed to an interview."
Stanley told Judge Jeffrey O'Hara that Christians would remain law abiding and in the area if released on bond pending court proceedings.
"He has been very responsible in the way hes been dealing with this issue, being cooperative with law enforcement, trying to move things forward."
Stanley explained that Christians has been married to his wife for 27 years. The couple has two adult children together.
"He clearly has significant contacts with the community. I believe he is not a flight risk," Stanley said Tuesday in court.
Judge O'Hara explained that he must consider several prongs when determining the parameters of bond.
"Both safety of our community, and safety of the victim and children, as well as the concern of risk of flight," Judge O'Hara said.
He set Christians bond at $1,000,000. If released, Christians can have no contact with the victim or any children, and must wear a GPS monitoring system.
Christians will be back in court on February 14.
Following his arrest on Monday, Northview Superintendent Christina Hinds released the following statement:
"Northview Public Schools was informed earlier today of the arrest of a former teacher by the Kent County Sheriff’s Office. This individual last worked for Northview Public Schools in 2000. We want to assure our community that the safety and well-being of our students are our highest priorities. Upon learning of the investigation, our district has been working alongside the sheriff’s office and will continue to do so to bring resolution and closure to this situation.
As this is an ongoing criminal matter, we are unable to comment further or provide additional information at this time. We understand the concerns that incidents like these can cause and want to reassure our community of our unwavering commitment to student safety. We will continue to work diligently to uphold these values and trust. We appreciate the understanding and support of our community as we navigate through this matter."
It’s unclear why the 51-year-old left the district.
Monday afternoon, FOX 17 reached out to administrators with Lowell Area Schools, regarding whether or not James Christians was a current employee of the district.
Hours after the Sheriff's Office released information on the investigation into Christians, the district sent a letter to parents saying one of their high school teachers had been placed on administrative leave following misconduct allegations.
FOX 17 was sent the letter penned by Superintendent Nate Fowler in response to our inquiry.
"This letter is to notify you that a teacher at Lowell High School has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into allegations of misconduct. There is no indication at this time that the misconduct occurred on school property or involved Lowell Area Schools students or staff," it read in part.
"In these unusual situations, curiosity is natural. However, speculation may harm the investigation and is not helpful for the individuals involved. If you have additional information, please do not hesitate to contact the Kent County Sheriff’s Office or our District offices."
A follow-up letter was distributed to the community on Tuesday:
Parent Letter - 2 by WXMI on Scribd
The Kent County Sheriff's Office asks anyone with information on this case to contact them at (616) 632-6125, or submit information completely anonymously trough Silent Observer at (616) 774-2345.
