Flat Rock Middle employee arrested, terminated on charges of having registered sex offender on campus
A Flat Rock Middle School employee has been terminated after her arrest by the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office on charges of having a registered sex offender on campus, according to police.
The Sheriff’s Office was notified Dec. 16 that Maria Edina Walker is married to a registered sex offender, Jeffery Lynn Walker, and that he had been seen in a vehicle on the school campus, according to a HCSO news release. It is illegal for a registered sex offender to be on school property at any time.
“We immediately notified the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, and began an internal investigation in cooperation with law enforcement,” McGowan Gorsuch said in the statement. “As a result of that investigation, we confirmed that the individual in question, Jeffery Lynn Walker, is a registered sex offender and that at Maria Walker’s invitation, he had been on the Flat Rock Middle campus.
“Ms. Walker’s actions were grossly inappropriate and inexcusable. We immediately terminated Maria Walker from employment for her actions, which are a violation of state law and Board policy. … We will continue to investigate this matter to ensure the safety of all Flat Rock Middle students and staff.”
[FAC NOTE: The husband’s offense took place more than 20 years ago, adjudication was withheld]
Discover more from Florida Action Committee
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Sadly, both are being charged with felonies, even though he apparently stayed in the car. No indication or allegation that any children were approached or endangered. Interesting point is that his registration in North Carolina is for 10 years, but his actual crime was 22 years ago. On the one hand, North Carolina apparently believes that he would no longer be a threat to the public 10 years after his release for that crime. But on the other hand, since he didn’t serve time for the original crime, he has been offense free for 22 years. It does seem to me that his arrest now violated the spirit of a law that defines 10 years of good behavior in the community proves that you are no longer a threat to society.
Just another example showing that registry laws don’t make sense. Michigan just got rid of school exclusion zones because they make no sense. Yes, it was stupid for him to have been there, but the law is stupid too. Just as stupid as Florida’s, where a visitor can be placed on their registry for life regardless of how long his registration in his home state is.
This sounds like another good case for relief. This is the same state that made all social media illegal for registrants until SCOTUS under Packingham put them back in their place. They just don’t know the difference between innocent civilian behavior and criminal apparently and need a law to make it easy on their brains (i.e. make everything illegal). Oh well, NC, you better get ready for another piece of garbage legislation to get struck down. Your AG office must like the overtime it seems.
Anonymous
I think a law suit should filed against Nextdoor. If being on the registry is NOT punishment, how can we be banned from a website? I could understand under probation. But many of us did our time long before there was a nextdoor. They (Whoever they are) keep getting away with more and more non punishment -punishment.
Punishment is usually when you have something taken away like a right, a permission , your freedom, sanctions, banned from something and so on. Sound like punishment yet? Basically probation on crack cocaine,
Someone just needs to come up with an alternative NextDoor. From what I’ve heard about it, they’ve set a very low bar to beat. Anyone IT developers what to take this on?
Wow I’m so glad those two terrorists are off the street. (SARCASM IMPLIED) I’m mean what would have happened if they weren’t arrested.
I’m just kinda speechless.
And what agency is HCSO?
Where is Flat Rock?
HCSO is the Henderson County
Sheriff. I believe Flat Rock is in the Western part of North Carolina. I Live in North Carolina, and I am shocked that the wife was arrested. I wonder who snitched.
Flat Rock is south of Hendersonville in Western North Carolina, home of Rep. Cawthorne. Not being political, just stating facts.
It doesn’t matter who snitched. Now they’ve lost an employee and get to have more education dollars taken away so their state can lock up these poor folks with felony convictions. Smart allocation of resources!
Absolutely ridiculous.
More terrible collateral damage. ☹️
You sometimes see such stories out of NC, which I think mandates a statewide ban of registrants from school property. FL and it’s counties, by contrast, apply a more nuanced approach to registrants on school grounds (the policy in FL is, “it depends”).
Mrs. Walker is not just having her name and face dragged through the mud. She has been, I believe, arrested, charged with more than one felony, fired from her job, and rendered barely employable. All because she allowed her husband to come to her school workplace.
Someone should start a Change.org petition and hopefully her students’ parents will sign on.
Somebody was out for them. I find it hard to believe that a random person just so happen to identify Mr. Walker and suddenly fear for their lives. IF they have children there, they can say that the dad was picking them up. Of course, it would behoove them to be on good terms with the principal.
All this concern about the “children’s safety,” then why don’t they have a drug offender registry or one for domestic violence? Stranger danger is as myth, but being offered heroin to buy is very real.
I’ve actually been wondering about this very subject. The Florida state statute says certain people on the registry can’t be on school grounds when it’s “in operation” but the school board for our county has an FAQ that states people on the registry in “released” status are allowed to attend events open to the public. Our county has no additional provisions outside what is mandated by the state. I’m still not sure what “in operation” specifically means or if we actually can attend our children’s recitals, sporting events, etc.
please reference the statute and the county
I think it’s safe to say that FL, unlike NC, did not impose a blanket ban on registrants accessing school property. Had they done so, they would have harmed more families and children. But FL is a home-rule state, and policies may vary by school district as to who may access, for what purpose, where they may go, and who (if anyone) must be notified. It’s a common sense approach.
If in doubt, ask the principal, and they can check their school district policy. Or ask your local registration office.
I personally have worked with four or five different FL principals for my kids’ schools. Not one has requested the details of my case, made disparaging remarks, breached our family’s confidentiality, or prevented me from accommodating my childrens’ basic needs, although the school district has certain limits and restrictions. In NC, by contrast, it appears that the school law punishes entire families without distinction or common sense.
This is one of those smooth move exlax, as both parties no better.