MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — A former math teacher at Middletown High School has been charged with sexual assault, accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a student, police said.
Police served an arrest warrant for 35-year-old James Hanson on Tuesday, alleging that Hanson had a sexual relationship with a minor. Hanson had taught at the school from August 2022 to Nov. 16, 2023, and was placed on administrative leave once the investigation started, according to police.
Hanson turned himself in to Middletown police and was charged with five counts of second-degree sexual assault, two counts of fourth-degree sexual assault, using a computer to entice a minor, and risk of injury to a minor.
Officials said that Hanson's arrest is the result of a lengthy investigation conducted by the Middletown Police Department's Special Investigations Unit alongside the Homeland Security Investigations Task Force.
Middletown Police Schools released a statement following Hanson's arrest, saying it's been working with investigators since November 2023.
Read their full statement below:
Today a former Middletown Public School employee was arrested. As such, we are taking this opportunity to clarify the District's procedures in matters such as these.
In November 2023, immediately upon learning of the allegations against Mr. James Hanson, he was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation, and the District contacted the appropriate authorities. Soon after, Mr. Hanson submitted his resignation. Mr. Hanson is no longer employed by the Middletown Public Schools and has not been for several months now.
Since November, we have been working in partnership with the authorities and will continue to do so for as long is necessary.
We know situations like this can have profound effects on our school community, and we want to remind [the community] that our school support personnel remain available to any member of our school community who wants or needs support.
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Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.
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