South River High teacher charged with 2 counts of sex abuse

The Baltimore Sun

An Anne Arundel County teacher and assistant football coach has been charged with fondling a female student in his classroom and sending her explicit e-mails using a pseudonym.

Christopher Thomas Newman, 31, described on the South River High School football team's Web page as a married father of two young children, is alleged to have used the name of a character from the movie Fight Club to share fantasies and told the 16-year-old girl, "I think I crossed the line, but I like it."

He surrendered to county police July 12. He was charged with two counts of sex abuse of a minor and two counts of fourth-degree sex offense, according to charging documents. He denied any wrongdoing when interviewed by police, charging documents show, and was released on bail.

Newman, who was hired in 2005 as a career counselor and taught classes to get struggling students on a college track, was reassigned when the allegations emerged in March, said Bob Mosier, a county schools spokesman. He worked in a school district warehouse until his teaching contract was severed June 15.

Newman's case mirrors that of his father, Thomas A. Newman, also an Anne Arundel County teacher and football coach, who was acquitted of similar charges in 1994. Neither father nor son could be reached for comment yesterday.

The younger Newman's arrest comes after the convictions of two Anne Arundel school employees for having sexual relationships with students. A former Glen Burnie High School band director was ordered in March to spend 18 months in jail for having sex at the school and in a park with a female student.

A year earlier, a former North County High School basketball coach and student advocate was convicted of having a yearlong sexual relationship with a student. He was sentenced to two months in jail.

Mosier said the district conducts thorough background checks to screen applicants.

"I think we provide adequate training," he said. "New teachers sit in on new teacher orientation, and parts of that cover what is and is not an appropriate relationship to have with students."

Newman's arrest was first reported in The Capital newspaper yesterday. A friend of the alleged victim had told administrators about the relationship months earlier, charging documents say. Though the alleged victim initially denied an affair, saying she had only "dreamed" about it, administrators went to police anyway.

After nearly a month of questioning, the girl told police about three incidents in January and February, including two in which he kissed her and touched her body over her clothes, according to charging documents. In the second, Newman allegedly reached inside her clothes.

She also said he gave her gift cards to Starbucks and Blockbuster, according to charging documents.

The victim's grandmother told police that she had viewed e-mails on the girl's computer from a "Tyler Durden," the name of the duplicitous hero of the 1999 movie Fight Club. They contained suggestive messages that the girl later said came from Newman, including, "I want to hold your head in my hands, pull you close to me and have our lips touch." The grandmother also saw notations in the girl's notebook about having lunch with Newman and meeting him after school, charging documents say.

Newman told police the student had spent "a couple lunch periods" in his office to help work on a bulletin board and said he was willing to take a lie detector test to prove his innocence. After being confronted with the girl's detailed account, Newman said she was lying about the e-mails and he gave her a gift card "because he felt sorry for her," court records show.justin.fenton@baltsun.com ruma.kumar@baltsun.com

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