Dougherty substitute teacher investigated in 2013 for misconduct at Monroe

ALBANY — Former Dougherty High School substitute teacher Matthew Jermaine Rouse, arrested earlier this year on charges of sexual misconduct with a student at the school, was previously investigated by the Dougherty County School System Police Department on allegations of sexual misconduct with a student while he was employed at Monroe High School in 2013.

Rouse, arrested on May 16, is the second Dougherty County School System employee to be arrested in 2017 for sexual assault of a student.

On Sept. 8, Monroe Assistant Principal Horace Bentley was arrested and charged with two counts of sexual assault by a person in a supervisory position or disciplinary authority after a recorded cellphone video surfaced of Bentley putting his hands down a student’s pants.

Bentley ultimately resigned in lieu of termination but still faces felony criminal charges.

After Bentley was arrested, The Albany Herald filed an Open Records request with the Dougherty school system and discovered that Bentley had been the subject of two prior investigations for sexual misconduct, one in December of 2014 and another in February of 2016, while employed by the school system.

Then-Superintendent David “Butch” Mosely, then-Assistant Superintendent Jack Willis, current Superintendent Ken Dyer and Monroe Principal Vinson Davis, according to DCSS incident reports, were all sent the details of each investigation as they occurred, but Bentley continued to be employed by DCSS until his arrest in September of this year.

The Albany Herald filed another open records request with the school system Monday, this time in reference to Rouse’s personnel file. The file was made available Friday morning.

According to Rouse’s personnel file, he too was the subject of a past investigation for reportedly “enticing a child for indecent purposes.” That alleged incident occurred on March 5, 2013, more than three years before he was arrested at Dougherty High School in May of this year.

According to records, the 2013 incident report was sent by school system Assistant Police Chief Julius C. Phillips to multiple high-ranking members of the school system, including Mosely, then-Assistant Superintendent Kenneth Goseer and DCSS Police Chief Troy Conley, on March 7, 2013.

“The student reported the teacher has been flirting with him since December 2012,” Phillips wrote in his March 7, 2013, report. “The student reported that the teacher was being sexually inappropriate to him. The student reported that there was an occasion when the teacher caressed him across his stomach as he was standing at his locker. The student reported that he told another male teacher about it in January of 2013 and again in February of 2013. The student reported that he also recently told another female teacher about his problem.

“The teacher admitted to making physical contact with the student’s stomach, but reported it was by accident as he missed his hand while attempting to to give him a high five. The teacher admitted to making physical contact with the student on other occasions, but denied it was in a sexual way. The teacher continued to deny flirting with the student or being sexually attracted to him or males in general.”

Rouse was subsequently told to leave Monroe High School, the report indicates, saying, “There is no video footage of the incident. (Then-Monroe Principal) Dr. (Valerie) Thomas advised Mr. Rouse to leave Monroe and (told him he) could not return.”

Rouse’s separation from Monroe became official in May of 2013.

From Monroe, Rouse went to Lake Park Elementary School, where he worked as a personal aide from August of 2016 until November of 2016 before he resigned for what were termed personal reasons. There are no incidents reported during his time at Lake Park, and his personnel file does not detail what students he came in contact with on a daily basis.

In April of 2017, Rouse began working at Dougherty High School as a substitute teacher.

Less than a month later, on May 16, Rouse was arrested and charged with “three counts of sexual assault on a person in custody” after a student saw Rouse and another student having sex in a bandroom storage area at the school. The incident was reported to Principal Eddie Johnson, who called in the school system police.

“The reporting officer viewed the camera of the area and observed a student and substitute teacher, Matthew Rouse, perform oral sex on each other,” the incident report from May 16 said. “Both the student and Rouse were transported to Dougherty County School System Police headquarters. The case was turned over to Investigator J.C. Phillips.”

Charges were filed, and Rouse was officially terminated from the employ of the Dougherty County School System after his arrest.

Multiple calls have been placed to Dyer in reference to the continued employment of both Rouse and Bentley after earlier allegations of sexual misconduct were investigated, but those calls have not yet been returned.

A call was also placed on Friday to DCSS Public Information Officer J.D. Sumner, who said he would look into it.

Atlanta Attorney Jeb Butler was contacted Friday in reference to reports of a pending $1 million lawsuit against the Dougherty County School System filed by the student Rouse is accused of molesting.

Butler did not confirm the lawsuit, saying he would have to talk to his client before making a statement.

Rouse was a Youth Minister at Grace Emanuel Church of God in Christ in Albany before working for the Dougherty County School System.