OXFORD – Oxford Academy officials have confirmed that two individuals arrested within the last week for sex-related crimes were district employees.
According to Superintendent Randy Squier, both Patrick G. Woodard and Terrill E. Sutton are both employed by the Oxford Academy and Central School District. Both have been placed on paid leave, “pending civil service due process.”
The superintendent sent a letter home to parents Thursday regarding the two, unrelated arrests.
“In both cases the district has cooperated fully with law enforcement,” Squier stated in the letter. “Our first priority is and will always be the safety of our students and employees.”
The district itself provided information to the police which prompted the investigation of Sutton, a part-time school monitor at the Oxford Middle School who has worked for the district since September of 2007.
“He (Squier) called me and that started the investigation,” confirmed Oxford Police Chief Rich Nolan.
As a result, the 41-year old Oxford woman was arrested on charges of forcible touching and endangering the welfare of a child, both class A misdemeanors. According to a press release issued by the department, she “allegedly had inappropriate contact with a 14-year old boy.”
“She was arrested at the school, but the incident took place outside of school property,” Nolan reported.
Following her arrest, Sutton was arraigned in the Village of Oxford Court and released. She is scheduled to reappear at a later date.
“Right now it’s still a pending case,” Nolan said, declining to comment further.
The district did not play a role in Woodard’s arrest, although the school buildings were searched in the course of the investigation, according to Squier.
“Nothing was found,” he said.
Woodard, a custodian at the Oxford Middle School, has worked for the district since September of 2009. The 46-year old Norwich man was arrested Monday by the New York State Police for possession of a sexual performance of a child, a class E felony.
According to a statement issued by the law enforcement agency, the arrest was a result of an investigation by the New York State Police Computer Crimes Unit in Albany into the possession and distribution of child pornography.
Woodard was arrested after state and city police searched his Norwich home. He was arraigned in Norwich City Court and remanded to the Chenango County Jail, where he remains in custody in lieu of $50,000 cash bail. According to the release, the investigation is ongoing and further charges are pending.
Squier said background checks were conducted on both Sutton and Woodard before they were hired, as is the district’s policy for all employees.
According to District Clerk Michele Rice, this process includes obtaining fingerprint clearances through the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.