South River High School teacher arrested, charged with multiple sex offenses

A South River High School biology teacher was arrested Wednesday for allegedly having numerous sexual encounters with a teenage student.

The student submitted a written statement to the Anne Arundel County School Board recently stating Meredith Susan Barry Martin, 37, had inappropriate contact with him. The teenager later told detectives that he had several sexual encounters with Martin in the Davidsonville and Edgewater area, police said.

“This is a difficult situation for everyone here at South River,” Principal William Myers wrote in a letter to families.

Anne Arundel County Police responded to South River High School on Jan. 30 for reports of a possible sex offense. School administrators reported receiving information of a teacher and teenage student “seen together initiating inappropriate contact.” The school board then prohibited Martin from having further contact with children, police said.

Martin, of Davidsonville, was charged with five counts of sex abuse of a minor, eight counts of a fourth-degree sex offense involving a person in a position of authority and two counts of perverted practice.

“The charges against Meredith Martin sicken me to my core and besmirch the incredible work teachers across our county do with children every single day,” Superintendent George Arlotto said in a statement.

Martin was released on her own recognizance after being charged. She is represented by a private attorney, but the attorney’s name was not listed in court records Wednesday night. She could not be reached for comment.

The student told police he had sex with Martin three or four times between November and December 2018 while she was his biology teacher. The first incident occurred in November 2018 when the student and Martin had sex in her car in the parking lot of a Kmart on Route 2 in Edgewater, according to charging documents. The student was 16 at the time.

The teen told police Martin initially asked him to exchange numbers and he later called her to say they had been seen together when she gave him a ride home, according to charging documents.

The victim told police he and Martin later exchanged text messages about where to meet and agreed upon the Kmart parking lot. They had several encounters in the parking lot and at a park and ride on Route 424 at the Route 50 exit in Davidsonville.

Martin told the student not to tell anyone about their interaction, according to police reports. The teenager told police he did not initially report the interactions because he was scared and didn’t know what would happen.

Martin has been a full-time employee in Anne Arundel County Public Schools since August 2007. She taught special education and science at Chesapeake High School from 2007 to 2012 and taught science at South River High School from 2012 to the time she was reassigned in January 2019, said Bob Mosier, spokesman for county public schools.

The investigation is ongoing, police said. Police urged any other victims or anyone with information on these incidents to contact the Anne Arundel County Child Abuse Unit at 410-222-4733. Callers wishing to remain anonymous are asked to contact the Anne Arundel County Tip Line at 410-222-4700 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 866-7-LOCKUP (866-756-2587).

Staff writer Donovan Conaway contributed to this report.