Contract school employee arrested for alleged inappropriate relationship with student

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - The East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man who was allegedly in an inappropriate relationship with a juvenile while employed as a contracted substitute teacher at Woodlawn High School.

Jail records show Damien Clark, 24, was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Jail on Tuesday, Sept. 12, on the charges of indecent behavior with juveniles and molestation of a juvenile.

According to arrest records, Clark began inappropriately texting a 15-year-old victim on Aug. 31, sending numerous lewd messages, and indicating that they had engaged in sexual acts.

The teenager’s guardian told deputies they learned about the suspected hook-ups after reading text messages between the two, said Rodney Walker, EBRPSS Director of School Security.

Arrest documents reveal Clark texted the student to meet up at a room in the school.

“We have to do a better job in observing the whereabouts of people on campus. We have to be accountable,” explained Walker.

The East Baton Rouge Parish School System released the following statement after Clark’s arrest:

Law enforcement was notified on Monday, Sept. 11, about the incident occurring in the 15700 block of Jefferson Highway.

The victim claimed the two were in an intimate relationship, according to the arrest records.

Clark denied the allegations and stated the two only texted about school items, according to arrest records.

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