Teacher arrested, charged with sexual abuse and sodomy

By Scott Wright

CENTRE — An employee of the Cherokee County Board of Education was arrested last week on sex charges.

Michael Allen Ray, 49, was arrested by Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department deputies without incident at 2 p.m. Friday. He was charged with two counts sexual abuse and three counts of first-degree sodomy, according to the official arrest report.

Sheriff’s department investigator Bo Jolly told The Post Ray was released later in the day after posting a $75,000 bond. Sheriff Larry Wilson said Ray’s case will probably go to trial after January 2007.

Wilson and Jolly refused to comment on the specifics of the case, and said additional questions should be directed to the office of District Attorney Mike O’Dell. Assistant DA Bob Johnston, who will prosecute the case against Ray, spoke with The Post on Wednesday but refused to release any specifics about the case.

Superintendent of Schools Brian Johnson confirmed that Ray has been removed from the faculty at Cedar Bluff School, where he taught high school science and coached the track team.

"He has been suspended by the board pending the outcome of the case," Johnson said. He declined further comment.

Ray is currently involved in divorce proceedings with his wife, who is also a teacher in the county school system. Ray and his wife have one child together. Before they separated, the family of three shared a home with two other children Mrs. Ray has from a previous marriage, according to a source with knowledge of the case.

All three children are under the age of 13, the source said.

Asst. District Attorney Johnston said the next step in the legal process will be to arraign Ray on the sodomy and sexual abuse charges.

"That's typically what occurs next, after an indictment," Johnston said. "We just finished a jury trial in Cherokee County, so probably the next chance we will have to put this case before a jury will be April-June of next spring -- not before."