CHARLOTTE — A teacher from Harding High School allegedly used a translator app to prey on two Spanish-speaking students, according to court documents obtained by Channel 9 this week.
We previously reported when Adrian Lewis was arrested and charged with sex crimes. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s Sexual Assault Unit started investigating after a school resource officer reported allegations of inappropriate messages to a student.
In an affidavit, one student reported that Lewis had asked her inappropriate questions through the app, and he would often get in her personal space, including touching her back during class.
Last week, she said she asked Lewis about her grades through the app, and he responded by saying she should be his girlfriend and to think of her grades when she declined, investigators said in an affidavit.
Investigators found messages in the translation app, and Lewis said they were messages to another student, according to court records. Police interviewed that student, and she said Lewis asked her inappropriate questions through the app.
Police said they reviewed the translation phrases with Lewis, and he “admitted that they were inappropriate,” according to the affidavit.
Lewis has since been released from the Mecklenburg County jail on bond.
Channel 9′s Almiya White spoke with a woman whose cousin attends Harding High School. She said she was disturbed when she learned about this incident.
“At school, that’s supposed to be a place that you can go and not have to worry about stuff like that,” she expressed. “That’s just very disturbing, because I can only imagine how she felt in that moment, because this is somebody that she was supposed to be able to go to for anything in the school system, and instead, he was taking advantage of her.”
White also spoke with Willis Draughen, who runs a non-profit called Be You, Be Great, where he works with students from Harding High School.
He said he thinks there should be a deeper dive into teachers’ backgrounds.
“Taking advantage of our youth, and especially those who don’t even speak our language of English. That’s, that’s, that’s sad,” Draughen said. “At the end of the day, I feel like we need a better vetting process.”
Education leaders released a statement regarding the incident, saying:
“The safety and learning of our students are of the utmost importance to us all. We take this matter seriously and encourage all students to report any concerns to their parents and/or school administration. Reports can also be made anonymously through the Say Something App. Harding University HS administration will ensure that daily learning is not impacted.”
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has employed Lewis since August 2023. However, on April 4, he was suspended without pay, a spokesperson said.
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