A Maryland middle school security guard has been charged with sexual abuse of a minor and displaying obscene material to a child after allegedly showing porn to a 13-year-old student.
Varvie Daughtry, 36, was arrested and charged last week over the November incident at Earle B. Wood Middle School.
According to a report from Fox News, the 13-year-old had been in a fight at school and was given in-school suspension, which Daughtry supervised.
The boy and the security guard were the only two people in the room when the alleged incident occurred.
“During that day, the student talked to Daughtry about his job and asked if he worked anywhere else. Daughtry informed the boy that he also worked as a security guard at a nightclub in Washington, D.C.,” Fox reports. “Daughtry then pulled out his phone and showed the student photos and videos of naked women and people having sex.”
The student told law enforcement that he felt uncomfortable during the exchange.
In April, detectives searched Daughtry’s phone and found material consistent with what the boy had described being shown.
“Daughtry’s records reveal he has a previous criminal history, including other sex charges in Washington, D.C., from four years ago. He pled guilty to sex solicitation charges in the nation’s capital in March 2018,” Fox reports. “He also served time in prison for an armed robbery in 2004 when he was 18 years old, although those charges were transferred to juvenile court because of his age.”
It is unclear if the Montgomery County School District conducted a background check before allowing him to work with children.
In a letter to parents about the arrest, Earle B. Wood Middle School principal Heidi L Slatcoff wrote that Daughtry has been placed on administrative leave.
“Mr. Daughtry did work at Wood Middle School but was placed on administrative leave last year, beginning on Monday, December 12, 2022 following consultation with police who had initiated an investigation,” Slatcoff wrote. “Being on administrative leave also meant that Mr. Daughtry was not allowed in our school or on our grounds. We worked very closely to support the police in their work to investigate this matter.”
“The allegations against Mr. Daughtry are troubling, reprehensible, and are contrary to the principles and values of MCPS and our community,” the letter continued. “The safety and security of our students is our top priority and we continue to work every day with our partners in the Montgomery County Police Department to ensure that we are providing a safe environment for our students and staff.”
The Montgomery County School District recently made headlines when it was announced that it has removed parents’ rights to opt their children out of certain parts of the curriculum and has made LGBTQ-themed books required reading.
The district has made multiple controversial books mandatory reading for its English language arts curriculum as part of an “LGBTQ-inclusive reading list.”
Montgomery County borders Washington, DC.
