On Monday May 22nd, a student at Fox Chapel Middle School reported to the school resource officer inappropriate contact between an adult who worked at the school and a student.
The Sheriff’s Office investigated the claim, speaking both with the young victim and the suspect. They arrested Marcus Wells, 34, on the night of May 23rd. He was employed at Fox Chapel Middle School as an in school suspension monitor. He is charged with multiple counts of sexual battery on a minor 12 – 18 years of age by a person who is in familial or custodial authority.
He is currently booked in the Hernando County jail. Originally he had no bond, explained Sheriff Nienhuis in a press conference on May 24th, but since his booking, bond was changed to $80,000. If he is able to post bond, he’ll have to wear a GPS monitor Sheriff Nienhuis explained. Additionally, he will not be able to have unsupervised contact with young people.
The School Board and DCF worked together with the Sheriff’s Office to bring this case to a “successful conclusion,” remarked Sheriff Nienhuis.
Over approximately two weeks that ended on Friday May 19th, there were eight encounters between the victim and Mr. Wells at the school.
HCSO was able to obtain admissions from the suspect prior to his arrest. Prosecutor Erin Daly with the State Attorney’s Office has been working closely with HCSO as well.
During the joint press conference, Dr. Romano thanked Sheriff Nienhuis and the Sheriff’s Office for their professional support in the matter. “The Hernando County School District has worked in full cooperation with the Sheriff’s Office in order to ensure the most efficient process,” she said. Dr. Romano explained that Mr. Wells was never employed as a teacher, but had been with the district for 8 years.
In a prepared statement Dr. Romano said, “The timeline of events as far as we are aware is as follows. On Monday May 22nd, just before noon, the school resource officer Deputy Valente was made aware of allegations against Mr. Wells of inappropriate contact with a youth. School administration immediately removed Mr. Wells from student contact and the school resource officer coordinated an investigation. Wells remained isolated from students for the remainder of Monday and was required to report to the district office Tuesday while the Sheriff’s Office continued their investigation. Tuesday evening we were made aware that an arrest was imminent. We appreciate the support of the Sheriff’s Office and as we stand together this morning we extend this promise to our community. We will not tolerate behavior that puts our students at risk.
We hope that the actions of this one individual will not sully the integrity of the many wonderful and hardworking staff of the Hernando County School District.”
The Sheriff’s Office couldn’t comment on under what circumstances the victim could have been alone with Mr. Wells.
There is no evidence of other victims at this point in time, however Sheriff Nienhuis said, “We do find in cases like this, when somebody does this type of thing… it’s not the first incident.”
He urged parents of children who had been in contact with Mr. Wells through school or other community programs to speak with their children about their interactions with him.
Mr. Wells also served as a coach for various sports in the county and was involved with youth activities for a church.